


Fox and Fire

by BunnyBrea



Category: Fellswap Gold - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Dystopia, Humans become third-class citizens, Inspired by Notre-Dame de Paris | The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Monsters take over, OC is the rebel leader, Papyrus lives in a bell tower, Post-Pacifist, Sans is obsessed with catching her, Self Insert, Surface Life, Third Person POV, human resistance, oppress or be oppressed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyBrea/pseuds/BunnyBrea
Summary: Fellswap Gold is a version of Fellswap in which monsters live in a tyrannical dystopia. Visit fellswap-gold on Tumblr for more. (I am not the creator.)When monsters first rose to the surface, Fox was just a normal human living her life. But fighting and fear put humans and monsters at odds and the monsters took over the city, putting up a wall so that no one could get in or out, and stripping the humans of their basic freedoms.Now Fox is the leader behind the resistance, giving up everything, even her real name, to stay hidden and fight the monsters from the shadows. It's not easy since she has Sans on her tail, ruthless and obsessed with capturing her. To make things even more complicated, Fox is rescued and befriended by Sans's own brother, Papyrus, who has been locked away in a bell tower by Sans for years.Fox just wants peace between the two races. Can a friendship between a human and a monster save everyone?
Relationships: OC & Papyrus, OC & Sans
Comments: 29
Kudos: 18





	1. Fox and the Hound

It was her smile that made his soul burn.

She smirked at him from atop The Wall, not caring about the bombs going off around her. After months of hunting her down she was _right there_ looking him right in the eye and smiling. Her eyes were filled with victory, but no smugness.

And why not? Her plan had worked.

Sans and the rest of the Royal Guard had known about the rebel group of humans and monsters (yes, even some monsters) that had been plaguing Ebott City. They took out cameras, held guerilla protests, upset major events.

And now, they were taking down part of The Wall.

It had started out with a bomb threat on the other side of the city – one that turned out to be a distraction. The real bombs were here. The human rebels had cleared out the square next to The Wall, and by the time the Royal Guard arrived, they were already going off, filling the air with rubble. Chunks of stone fell into the street.

In the chaos it was impossible to pin down the rebels, though the dogs were trying. Sans had managed to get on an undamaged roof so that he could get a better look at what was happening. That was when he saw her, standing on the wall directly across from him, a bandana around her neck that had no doubt concealed her face and slipped off. Her hair was bellowing in the wind, and that smile . . .

He had seen her before at other protests and knew that she had a pivotal role with the rebel group but had so far been unable to track her down, didn’t even know her name.

The papers called her ‘Fox’ because of her slippery nature and orange hair. Napaston played her up on his show, making her out to be a great antagonist. Actresses portraying her wore fox ears and sexy outfits while Napaston ‘captured’ her. But this rebel was no swooning anime girl, she was a thorn in the Royal Guard’s side, fighting for human freedom.

Well, if she was a fox, then he was a hound, and he _would_ bring her down.

Sans summoned a row of magical bones in the air, stepping on them like a bridge to get to The Wall. She saw him coming and began to run across the top of The Wall. He pursued, summoning more bones to throw at her. Fox stayed low, but one struck her arm, then her shoulder, making her stumble and cry out in pain. Sans grinned with victory.

“Stop right there, human!” He shouted. Fox didn’t look back, she was coming up on a hole in The Wall where one of the bombs had taken down a significant portion.

She wasn’t slowing down.

Could she jump that?

Apparently, she was going to try. Picking up speed, Fox planted her foot on the edge of the hole and leaped forward. Sans skidded to a stop and watched as the top half of her body hit the other side. She scrambled to hold on with her arms and pull herself up, but the loose stone threatened to drop her.

That wouldn’t do.

Sans summoned another group of bones, forming a floating platform. Sans stepped upon them and ran up behind Fox just as she lost her grip. Her feet hit red bone and he grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back against him.

“ _Got you_ ,” he snarled between clenched teeth. He seized her wrist and pinned the arm behind her back. Her hair brushed the side of his face as she struggled, hitting him with the scent of shampoo and flowers.

He controlled the bones to take them down to the ground. When their feet met the earth Fox pressed her back against his chest, bumping his chin. Sans gasped at the sudden movement as she pushed against him, forcing him to stumble backwards until they both fell over. As he hit the ground Fox struggled with renewed strength. He tried to keep ahold of her, snatching at the bandana around her neck. The knot came lose and Fox pulled herself free, rolling away.

She turned back and looked at him, giving him that smile again – not teasing, just happy, like she was proud and surprised at herself for escaping.

Sans scrambled up and summoned bones, but she was already running back to the street. His magic sputtered as he tried to throw them. Looking down in surprise, Sans realized that he had been injured, a rock had cut through his pants and struck his leg when they fell.

“Damn it!” He clutched a fist and glared after Fox as she ran into the chaos, disappearing into the swarm of monsters, dust, and general panic. With an injured leg he couldn’t even try running after her.

Then he realized that the fist he was clenching still had her bandana. He stared down at it, then began to grin. He raised it to his face and inhaled deeply.

Shampoo and flowers. She was as good as his.

* * *

It was easy for Fox to lose the Royal Guard, there was so much chaos that she was able to slip away, running down alleys, up fire escapes, and across rooftops away from the attack.

It had been close though, the skeleton almost had her this time.

Sans.

She knew him well, knew how determined, power-hungry, and _persistent_ he was. He was after the entire organization of course, but it was her specifically that he wanted. She still remembered the first time they had laid eyes on each other.

It had been at an award ceremony for the Royal Guard. He was one of the many being honored, dressed in a starched, ironed uniform, complete with cape. He looked regal and handsome, a short-statured skeleton among the guard dogs, the right-hand monster to Captain Alphys. He had caught her eye as she positioned herself for the attack.

She and the other rebels of her organization had attacked the stage, throwing smoke bombs, and firecrackers. The Royal Guard focused on protecting Queen Toriel, and Fox had used the distraction to swing down onto the stage like Tarzan, clutching a rope for the curtain and landing on stage.

“There will be no medals for tyrants!” She declared through the microphone, grabbing the box of medals at the podium. She always had the most dangerous jobs, that’s what she always volunteered for.

She had come face-to-face with Sans that day, his red eyes staring down into hers. She had smiled at him, full of victory and adrenaline, before the rest of her team threw down more smoke bombs, allowing her to escape into the crowd.

He had been on her tail ever since. After all she was the most active, and the hardest to catch. Ever since she had escaped monster captivity she had made that her ultimate goal. She had no name, only what the papers called her. No home, only multiple hideouts throughout the city.

It was at one of these hideouts that she finally allowed herself to stop running. This was the rendezvous point they had agreed on, and some of the rebels were already there.

The hideout was the cellar for a place called ‘Grillby’s’. The owner and namesake of the establishment was a monster that had joined their cause. Grillby was a fire monster, dressed in army greens and tall bots, sitting on an empty barrel when Fox slipped in through the hidden cellar doors. The humans nodded to her silently. Fox approached Grillby.

“The kids?”

The fire monster nodded. “They all got out.”

Fox beamed. “You’re kidding, all of them?”

“Mmhm, worked just as you said it would.”

Fox sighed with relief. This was the most ambitious attack they had ever attempted – sneaking humans out of Ebott City.

Blowing a hole in The Wall was their only option, as all points of access were heavily guarded and monitored, too much for their little band of rebels to handle. Since humans weren’t allowed to walk freely through the monster parts of Ebott, Grillby had agreed to take “ownership” of the kids.

Fox had planted and set off the bombs, while some others made it look like they were attacking the other side of town. It worked better than she had hoped, and it looked like everyone had gotten back safely.

“Alright, excellent work everyone,” Fox said to the group, “thanks to your bravery we’ve saved human children from a terrible fate. I’ll send word for our next meeting later, until then everyone stay low. The Royal Guard will be hot on our trail after such a successful attack, so stay apart, and stay hidden. Good luck.”

They left Grillby’s one at a time. Some hid in a delivery truck that would take them back to the human neighborhood, while others disguised themselves and walked. Fox took to the roof when it became dark, climbing up over fire escapes and construction planks that would get her safely away.

She didn’t know any of her comrades besides Grillby, making a point of using code names and not learning any of their hideouts. For Fox, staying distant was easy. No family. No friends.

Well, that wasn’t true. She had one friend.

Fox had reached the historic part of town where the streets were lined with beautiful old houses that had been left abandoned. No one lived in this part of town, it acted as a kind of neutral zone between the monster and human part of town, with no monsters wanting to live too close to the humans. It was a good place to hide, with several antique buildings, one of which was a giant church.

Fox smiled at the sight of it, feeling comfortable and safe in its shadow. The stained-glass windows shined, the stones were warmed by the sun, and the tower climbed to the sky.

Sanctuary.

The church wasn’t used for services anymore, it was open only one day a year for Christmas. The nuns that took care of it took in those in need, providing food and supplies when they could. It was a special place because it was one of the few human-run buildings untouched by monsters. Humans were allowed to operate there safely for the most part.

Fox used a secret entrance that led into the basement – an old, tiny window blocked by boxes of trash. She was just barely small enough to squeeze through.

Fox let herself in and fell to the floor, landing on her feet in a crouch. The basement was dark and cobweb-filled. It contained props from old plays, books, and church memorabilia that had gone untouched since the monster uprising.

There was a dumbwaiter on the far wall, and, though it no longer had its elevator mechanism, it did have a hidden ladder, which Fox used to climb up to the very top of the church. When she reached the final dumbwaiter opening she knocked on the door, using a special tune.

After a pause it was opened, revealing a tall skeleton monster, who’s eyes flickered with joy when he saw her.

“Hey, Papyrus.”


	2. Sanctuary

Fox remembered the first time she had met Papyrus. He had been the one to take her to Sanctuary.

The monsters were hosting a summer festival celebrating their freedom from the mountain. Fox had felt bad about plotting against the festival, after all, some of the monsters deserved to celebrate surface life. But their freedom came at the cost of human enslavement. There could be no reprieve for the monsters that held her fellow humans captive, so they planned an attack.

Fox went undercover as a performer. She wore silk skirts and a crop top that showed off her belly. She put a gossamer veil over her head to hide her face, and simply slipped into the festivities, dancing and playing with the children. To the carnival-goers she was just a human servant there for their entertainment.

All the while, from under her skirts, she removed bombs taped to her legs and planted them around the carnival. They were small, meant to cause fear more than harm, but if injuries or death occurred . . . well, it was an unfortunate part of the cause.

Most of the bombs were planted at the central tent. She pretended to fix rope and electronics as she put a bomb on each post that held up the giant tent. She was almost done when a monster spotted her and demanded that she return to the ring for the performance.

_Damn_ , Fox thought as she smiled and curtseyed before running off to the center of the ring. She had hoped to plant the bombs and slip away somewhere safe to set them off, but they had a backup plan in case she didn’t make it back for any reason. Someone else was waiting outside the festival, ready to press the detonator if she wasn’t back in fifteen minutes.

Oh well, caught in the crossfire yet again.

Fox played her part, smiling and waving at the crowd as she began to dance. Other performers were there as well, juggling, swallowing fire, and doing magic tricks, so she was well-blended.

In the crowd everyone was cheering, that’s what made one particular figure stick out to her. They were wearing a heavy jacket despite the summer day, a hood over their head. Fox had enough experience to know when someone was trying to hide. Were they one of hers? There shouldn’t be anyone else from the rebellion at the festival except for her . . .

Fox danced closer to the figure, spinning so that her skirts twirled out like a flower. She tilted herself backwards so that she could get a look under his hood.

She caught a flash of white, glowing eyes, and a startled expression. No one she knew. She smiled, gave him a wink, and danced back into the ring.

Okay, time to escape, just look for an opening and . . .

Sans was there.

Fox froze when she saw him. He had just entered the tent, wearing his uniform and a scowl. He was flanked by two other guards. A horn sounded and the rest of the performers stopped.

“Please welcome Lieutenant Sans of her majesty’s Royal Guard!” the ring master shouted. A cheer went up for Sans, who only gave a curt nod. “He will be judging our mask contest today! If you entered the contest, please step into the ring!”

Now was her chance! Fox and the other performers left the spotlight, and she eagerly made a beeline for the exit. How much time did she have left?

People surged forward for the contest, bumping her and pushing her back. Fox tried to rally, but in the commotion, she stumbled into the hoodie-wearing figure from before.

“S-sorry,” the monster said.

Apologizing to a human, that was new.

Fox pulled off her veil and looked up at him, still only able to see a shadowed portion of his face.

“No, I beg your pardon. Trying to get on stage?” She took his arm, knowing she would have more luck being with a tall monster like him.

She allowed them to be pulled along with the crowed, back into the ring. Sans was much closer now, standing on the small stage in the center. He was scanning the crowed with distain, and Fox felt her spine jolt when his gaze passed over her.

His eyelights paused, and his frown deepened.

Then the bombs went off.

Screams and debris filled the air. Fox felt herself thrown off her feet and into the body of the monster beside her. They both went tumbling to the ground. She felt feet against her body, striking her, filling her with pain. Fox tried to breath, tried to scream at everyone not to crush her, but no sound came out as the air was knocked out of her. All she could do was curl up and cover her head. A boot hit her nose, snapping her head back, while a different pair of feet trampled over her ribs.

She was going to die, literally under the feet of her oppressors.

The pain ceased, and she felt herself rise. Was she dead already? Was this what it was like? She opened her eyes and looked up into the half-hidden face of the cloaked monster. She wasn’t rising to the great beyond, he was carrying her, running, holding her tight in his arms. She couldn’t see anything else beyond him, so she closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, everything was quiet, and she was lying on a bed. Fox sighed then winced. Her face was killing her and when she reached up to investigate, it hurt to the touch.

_Everything_ hurt. Her ribs throbbed with each breath, her head pounded, and her muscles protested any movement. She managed to turn her head and take in the room she occupied. The walls and ceiling were exposed wood, like that of an attic. Sunshine fell through some small windows, revealing the dust in the air.

The bed was a small mattress on the floor, piled with blankets and surrounded by candles and books.

“Hello?” she rasped, not seeing anyone.

A creak of wood behind her answered. Fox tried to turn her head to see, but it hurt her neck too much.

“Who’s there?” She coughed. Her throat was so dry.

The figure stepped closer, and Fox could see his bare feet . . . skeleton feet. Her heart skipped and she feared Sans had at last caught her, but when she looked up she saw that it wasn’t Sans at all, but another skeleton monster. He was tall and thin, with wires on his teeth (braces?), and soft eyes. He was still wearing the oversized hoodie that she recognized.

“You were at the festival . . .”

He nodded.

“You got me out . . . thank you.”

He pulled a notepad and nubbed pencil out of his pocket and wrote on it. He showed her what he had written: ‘You’re really hurt. Can’t take you to a hospital.”

“Why not? Where are we? Can you not talk? I though you spok-” Fox broke out into a coughing fit. “Could I have some water, please?”

The skeleton nodded and left her sight to fetch her request. He returned with a cup, but she could barely drink it. He cupped the back of her head to help lift it, then held the cup to her lips, tipping the water into her mouth. Fox gulped eagerly and drained it.

“Thank you.”

The skeleton nodded and began writing in his notepad again. Fox waited patiently until he was done, then read: ‘We’re at my home, I’m not supposed to leave, and I don’t know where the hospital is anyway. It’s hard to talk.’

When she was done reading he presented her with another piece of paper. ‘I can heal you.’

“Thanks. I can’t really go to a hospital anyway,” Fox said.

The skeleton frowned and tilted his head inquisitively.

“It’s a long story.”

The skeleton shrugged and leaned forward, sitting on his knees and looking down at her. He placed his hands on either side of her face. His bones were cool and smooth.

“What are you doing . . .?”

Instead of answering, his hands began to glow. A green light shined in the corners of her eyes. Fox felt as her face was _moving_ , tingles and creepy-crawlies over her skin. There was a snap, and she winced as her nose shifted.

But the pain was fading. When the skeleton removed his hands she felt much better, no longer swollen or broken.

“Healing magic . . .” she gasped, “I thought that was just a rumor, that monsters didn’t have it.”

The skeleton pointed at himself.

“You have it,” she said in amazement. “Can you fix my ribs too?”

He nodded and placed his hands on her waist next. Fox braced herself as the strange feeling washed through her body again. She heard snaps as her ribs went back into place. When he was done she could breathe again.

“Amazing,” Fox said, able to sit up. She stared at the skeleton in awe. “Thank you so much . . . you . . . you saved my life. What’s your name?”

He wrote it down: ‘Papyrus’.

* * *

Fox stayed with Papyrus for the next couple of days, needing to lay low and heal. Papyrus seemed happy to have her, hovering over her and getting anything she needed. He didn’t like talking, explaining that due to a past injury it hurt too much, but he listened, so Fox told him some of her stories, and with some coaxing, he told some stories of his own.

“I was here when Ebott opened up,” she told him, “I was there when the monsters came out, and when we were rounded up. I managed to escape before I was sold off or killed. Some other humans found me and I’ve been in hiding ever since.”

She didn’t tell him she was part of the rebellion. He didn’t need to know.

Papyrus revealed to her that they were in the human-church, a special sanctuary.

“Do the nuns know you’re here?”

‘Some do,’ he wrote. ‘I ring the bells for them.’

“You ring the bells? That’s awesome, can I see?”

Papyrus gave her a tour of the tower he called home. The room he lived in was made up like a studio apartment, with his bed and wardrobe in one corner, a mini-kitchen in the other, and a television set up on the wall. Papyrus had video games, books, and board games all piled up on the floor here and there. Next to the bathroom was a hamper, but all the clothes were on the floor, as if he had tossed them and missed the hamper completely.

On the floor above them was the bell room. The giant, hollow domes took Fox’s breath away, and her gasp echoed through them.

“I didn’t know churches still used bells, these are beautiful. You ring these every morning?”

Papyrus nodded.

“When I lived in the human neighborhood, I would hear them, but I thought it was like a recording through a microphone. This makes it so much better.”

After Fox looked at all the bells Papyrus took them back to his room where he offered her food. Fox accepted, taking a seat at the little dining table he had.

It appeared that bell ringing wasn’t all Papyrus did. The table was covered in little wooden figures – animals and people, and even a under-construction version of the church. Fox picked up an unfinished piece and the knife that was next to it.

“You whittle!” She said.

Papyrus nodded as he put a pot of water on a hotplate. While it came to a boil he tried to clear off the table, but Fox kept fawning over the little wooden characters, complimenting his talent. Papyrus blushed and quickly put everything away before going back to his pot and putting some ramen in the water.

“So how long have you lived here? _Why_ do you live here?”

He shrugged. Fox didn’t press. She had her secrets, and he was entitled to his. Perhaps he was a criminal, or struggled with his disability, either way it didn’t matter to Fox.

Papyrus served up their meal and Fox eagerly slurped up the noddles, sighing with relief as she was able to fill up her stomach.

“Thanks so much for feeding me. Do you have any ketchup? I put ketchup in my ramen, takes the broth up to a ten, you should try it. I’m kind of in a similar situation to you, so I know a lot of poor-man’s recipes that’ll help your meals, I’ll share them with you if you’re interested.”

Fox realized she was rambling but couldn’t stop. It had been so long since she had a conversation, even though this was a tad one-sided, it was still nice to talk about something other than the war. Hobbies, recipes, it felt normal.

Once her belly was full, the weight of the day began to settle on her, and Fox yawned loudly. Papyrus pointed at his bed.

“Really? You’d let me stay here?”

He nodded.

“But where will you sleep?”

Papyrus looked around, then motioned to the bean bag chair in front of the TV.

“You’ve already done so much for me today, I don’t want to take your bed too. You can sleep with me if you want, I’m used to platonic bed sharing.”

Papyrus looked at his feet, then shrugged again.

“Well, whatever you’re comfortable with, I’m about to crash so I don’t have the strength to argue.” Fox stood up with a stretch and stumbled to the mattress, collapsing into the blankets and snuggling down with a moan.

Papyrus dragged his bean bag next to her and settled down on it, letting his legs rest on the bare floor.

“’night Papyrus. Thank you. Really.”

The skeleton answered by resting a hand on her head. Fox couldn’t help shuddering at the feeling of bone against her scalp, but as he stroked her hair it soothed her immediately into sleep.

* * *

It was still dark when he woke her.

“Pap-?” she murmured, feeling him shake her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

He motioned for her to follow him, his eyes glowed in the darkness. Fox pushed herself up and sleepily followed, her bare feet moving soundlessly across the floor. He took her to one of the windows and opened it.

They stepped out onto the ledge of the roof. It sloped dangerously, but Papyrus put an arm around her waist, making Fox feel a little safer. She climbed out after him and they took a seat. He pulled her close to his side and she held on tight in return, knowing one wrong move could send them sliding down, but Papyrus seemed confident, making Fox wonder how many times he had climbed out here.

He pointed to the horizon, and Fox looked.

It was the east, high enough that they could see over all the other buildings. The sky was navy blue and turquoise. And there, on the rim of the horizon, was a line of gold.

Fox sucked in air as the sun broke the curve of the earth, and its rays filled the sky. The breeze brought the smell of dew-soaked grass, and to the west, some stars still twinkled.

“It’s beautiful . . .” she whispered. “I haven’t seen the sun rise in so long . . .”

Papyrus tightened his grip.

“Thank you, Papyrus. Thanks for showing me this.”

He nodded.

Fox leaned her head against his shoulder, sleepily watching the sun’s ascension. Down below, the city started to come to life. People walked down the street and shops opened, having no idea about the human and monster above.

How long has Papyrus been doing this? Watching the city move as he hid up here all alone?

Fox drifted off against Papyrus’s shoulder, so he shook her awake and guided her back inside. ‘Time for the bells,’ he wrote.

“I’ll stay here,” Fox said. She watched him climb up to the next floor, and soon the room was filled with the reverberation of the bells as Papyrus played a song. Fox decided to make breakfast and scavenged Papyrus’s kitchen for food. She made some toast and scrambled eggs, making due with what they had. She even found some coffee, and happily made two cups.

Soon the song of the bells ended, making Fox’s ears ring. When Papyrus came down she showed off the food she had made. “Ta da!”

Papyrus smiled shyly, rubbing his shoulder.

“I know, I’m great, you’re welcome. Come on, let’s eat!”

They sat down together, Papyrus scarfed down his meal while Fox ate and admired his carvings. When they were done Papyrus insisted on immediately washing and putting the plates away, which seemed odd to her considering how messy the rest of the apartment was.

When he was done he started to write a message, ‘do you have to leave? We could play-’

They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

Papyrus jumped, eyes widening with fright. He grabbed Fox, pressing a finger to her lips. He pulled her to the other side of the room and opened his wardrobe, shoving her inside.

Fox was too surprised to think, let alone protest. She followed his lead, hunkering down amongst the clothes. He shut the door. Luckily there was a keyhole, allowing Fox to peer out.

“Paps?” A voice called.

A tapping answered. Fox could barely see Papyrus jog back to the table, where he sat down and pretended to look at a wooden bear. She couldn’t see the visitor.

“You actually did the dishes for once, now I just need to get you to use the hamper.”

Fox heard the squeak of a chair as the visitor sat down.

_Tap tap tap._

“Yes, I know I’m early. I needed to check on you. Good thing too, you’re almost through your rations! Slow down, I don’t need you running out of food until I can get to the store.”

She saw Papyrus pull out his notebook. The visitor, obscured by a load-bearing pole, took it.

“Ugh, I don’t want to talk about the festival. Complete idiocy, and that terrorist organization attacked again. Took down the main tent.”

_Scribble scribble._

“I’m fine, don’t waste your paper. But you see what I mean? You wanted to go so bad and look what happened! If I had let you go you could have been hurt, or worse!” The speaker heaved a deep sigh. When he spoke again, he sounded rueful. “This is why you must always stay in here. The world is cruel and wicked. I’m the only one you can trust, I can keep you safe . . . only when those murderous humans are gone can you be free.”

Silence.

“Please, Papyrus, I know it’s hard, but don’t ask me to leave again. Just . . . obey and stay in here. This is your sanctuary.”

“My sanctuary.”

That was Papyrus’s voice, rasped and quiet, as if it pained him to talk.

“Good, let’s speak of it no more. How about a game of Othello? Write down what rations you need and I’ll set it up.”

The chair squeaked again as the visitor stood up. Then they turned and started walking toward the wardrobe. Toward Fox.

Who she saw made her stomach drop.

_Sans._

Of course. They were both skeletons! How could she be so stupid? And now he was heading right for her, arm reaching out for the door.

_Taptaptaptap!_

“What?! Oh, you have it over there. Jeez, chill out, you got something to hide?”

They set up their game and played while Fox tried to breathe. She didn’t move or make a sound, only suffered through the soreness of hiding in the cramped space until Sans finally left.

She didn’t step out until Papyrus opened the door.

“Sans is . . . you’re related?” she asked, gobsmacked. She felt slightly betrayed.

Papryus showed her his notebook. ‘Brother’.

“Your brother . . . and he’s been keeping you up here? For how long?”

‘Since the mountain’.

“But . . . that was . . .” that was so long ago. “You . . . you snuck out to go to the festival, that’s why you were hiding. God, I can’t believe your brother is the Lieutenant of the Royal Guard.”

Papyrus frowned, asking a silent question. Fox sighed.

“I’m . . . I’m only telling you this because you saved my life, so I owe you that much. I don’t want to lie to you.” Fox looked down at her hands, wringing her fingers. She shouldn’t say anything, she should cut her loses and run.

But she liked Papyrus. He was the first friend she had made since she joined the rebellion, and she hadn’t realized just how lonely that had made her, how desperate.

She was even willing to be friends with the brother of her worst enemy. Stupid.

“I’m part of the terrorist organization, Paps. I set the bombs that took down the tent.”

He grabbed her skirt and tugged it. She was still wearing the belly-dancer dress.

“Just a disguise. I’m not actually a performer.”

Silence fell. They both felt a little betrayed now.

“I understand if you want me to leave,” Fox said quietly, “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, I just want humans to be free.”

He gave her a soft look of understanding. Fox was constantly caught by surprise by how expressive he was as a skeleton. Sometimes, when he seemed really happy, his eyelights would get bigger.

He wrote something down. ‘Why did you attack?’

“Because while the monsters party at their festival my people are dying and in slavery,” Fox said, heaving a heavy sigh. “The city is segregated, and the human side is completely poor and neglected. Those that try to escape are sent to a special jail just for humans, and the conditions are . . . well, those that come out are never the same.”

_Scribble._ ‘Slavery?’

“We’re forced to be indentured servants to monsters, given dangerous or demeaning jobs.”

‘Humans are bad too.’

Fox glared, feeling angry at the accusation. “Look, I know monsters were trapped under the mountain by humans, but that was _thousands_ of years ago. There’s no-”

_Scribble, scribble._ Fox paused as he wrote. ‘Humans attacked us when we first came out. That’s why I can’t talk. Why Sans hid me away.’

“Attacked? I never heard about an attack, this happened when monsters first emerged?”

Nod.

Fox leaned forward, having to stand on her toes to see the tall skeleton’s neck. Sure enough, there in the bone was a nasty scar that ran deep.

“God, I’m sorry Paps . . . I never . . . Figures that humans would make the first move toward violence.” She shook her head in disappointment.

‘Everyone’s scared.’

Fox nodded. “Yeah . . . guess the rebellion hasn’t helped much with that. But it still doesn’t excuse the conditions humans are living in now. The Wall needs to come down. Toriel needs to set the humans free.”

‘The Wall keeps us safe. Keeps out humans.’

“Yeah, and it keeps humans from leaving Ebott. We’re constantly watched by Napaston’s cameras and are forced to have special permits to run businesses, go to school, or even walk outside by ourselves! And, of course, these permits are impossible to get, so we have no choice but to serve monsters or go to jail!” Fox realized she had started to pace, getting feverish and angry. Papyrus rubbed his shoulder nervously, so she tried to calm down.

Papyrus started writing. Fox took a seat at the table where the Othello game sat. Looks like black had won.

‘I didn’t know. Sans said humans stayed on their side of town because they wanted to, told me not to worry, that he and the queen were taking care of everything. He told me about the human terrorists and how dangerous humans still were.’

“We don’t have a choice!” Fox said. “Look . . . the attack we made against the monsters wasn’t right, but humans are dying! That part of town is starving, full of sickness . . . being a ‘terrorist’,” she made air quotes, “is the only way I can think to save them!”

Papyrus looked at his hands. 

“I’m sorry for laying all this on you,” Fox said ruefully, “you saved my life, and I owe you for that. I just . . . Sans has been trying to arrest me for years and I was scared you would turn me in. I thought if I told you my side . . . human’s side, that you would understand.”

‘I won’t turn you in.’

“Really?” Fox asked, surprised.

‘On one condition. No more violent attacks. I don’t want Sans to get hurt.’

“Well . . . I owe you, so I promise, no more attacks. At least for a while.”

He smiled, and it made Fox’s heart flutter a little. He had such a gentle look.

‘One other condition, ~~sense~~ since I saved your life – will you come back to see me?’

“You want me to come back? I’d love to see you again, but is it safe?”

Papyrus stood and motioned for her to follow. He led her to a sliding door on the wall hidden behind a painting of a bone. He opened it to reveal the unused dumbwaiter. Fox peered inside, seeing a makeshift ladder.

“Is this how you snuck out?”

Papyrus nodded, then knocked on the door, tapping out a familiar song, the one he had played on the bells.

“Oh, like a code!” Fox said. “Alright, deal. Write down when Sans comes to visit you, and I’ll avoid those days. If he’s here unexpectedly you can leave a sign for me in the dumbwaiter.”

Papyrus nodded. His eyelights were shining brightly, filling up his eyesockets.

Guess he was in need of a friend as badly as she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Fellswap Gold Papyrus doesn't talk, but uses a notepad to communicate.


	3. Hellfire

Sans stared at the fire, clutching Fox’s bandana in his hand. The light hurt his eyes, but it couldn’t get rid of the image of her face in his mind. That smile. Her orange hair flying out behind her as he gave chase.

He had been _so close_.

His grip tightened.

Why couldn’t he get her out of his head?! There was so much to do. The rebellion had dealt serious damage, and humans were escaping through the hole she had made in The Wall. He should be focusing on that, but he wanted her. Wanted her captured and in a cell all to himself, so he could finally wipe that stupid smile off her face. Finally get the smell of flowers out of his nose . . .

He was an excellent guardsman, Toriel said so herself, and she did not give praise lightly. So why couldn’t he capture one simple human?

It was like a torturous fire inside of him, burning at his bones.

The door opened and he winced at the sudden sunlight.

“Sir?” Dogmay stepped inside “You needed me?”

Sans held out the bandana. “Take this and follow the trail. I need to find the person who was wearing it.”

“We’re still trying to secure The Wall, sir. They’re short-handed-”

“I’m giving you an order!” Sans snapped. “I don’t care if you have to burn down all of Ebott, find her!”

He shoved the cloth into Dogmay’s paws and the monster quickly nodded, sniffing it deeply.

“I’ll show you where she was last seen,” Sans said, “follow me.”

Sans took Dogmay to the spot where he had lost Fox. Despite the dust that filled the air, he was able to pick up a weak trail and follow it into the city.

Sans was merciless as they searched. He ordered civilians off the sidewalk as they passed and forced his way into any home that Dogmay paused at, making sure the dog had plenty of time to search while the monster families cowered nervously in a corner.

To his surprise they ended up at Grillby’s too, but the fire monster that ran the bar was helpful, allowing them to search whatever they wanted.

Dogmay finally figured out that she must have gone up onto the roof. They followed the trail from there, slowly making their way across town toward the human neighborhood.

It made sense that she would hide there, the humans would most certainly shield one of their own. The human neighborhood was on the poor side of town, close to Sanctuary, where Papyrus was. The houses on the monster-side were almost all empty, so it was possible she was hiding there too.

He didn’t like the idea of the human terrorists hiding so close to Papyrus. He briefly wondered if Fox was hiding in the church but cast the idea aside. Mother Superior knew the conditions of keeping her church standing.

They had a deal after all.

* * *

“Sanctuary! Please! Give us sanctuary!” Sans cried out over the rain, pounding on the church door. In the arm that wasn’t knocking was the limp body of his brother, Papyrus. Marrow and dust was falling from his neck.

Cut by a human.

How could Sans have been so stupid? That human brat Chara had given him hope, made him believe that humans could be kind. But the minute they had come out of the mountain, they had been attacked. Rocks had been thrown, then weapons had been grabbed. The monsters had tried their best to follow Chara’s example and shown mercy, cried for peace. But the humans didn’t listen.

Papyrus had been struck trying to keep Sans safe. The minute he saw his brother fall Sans dropped any idea of peace and impaled the offending human with a bone attack. There was no time to fight the rest of the crowd, Papyrus was dying. He had to hide.

The way back to the mountain was blocked by the battle, so Sans dragged the bigger skeleton into town, keeping away from heavily populated areas. He found himself in an empty neighborhood, running until he came to a church.

Sans knew what a church was from human media. They were supposed to be safe havens. Even if they tried to turn them away he knew that whoever lived there were peacekeepers, they would be easy to subdue.

His knocking was answered by an older human woman with grey hair wearing a holy cloth. She stared at him in horror.

“Let us in, you have to give us sanctuary,” Sans ordered, baring his sharp teeth and summoning a bone which he pointed at her threateningly. The nun raised her hands and backed away, allowing him inside.

“It’s true then,” she murmured, staring at him, “demons have come out of the mountain . . .”

Sans ignored her and the other nuns that approached, all gasping and whispering to each other. He took a cinnakitty out of his pocket and tried to force it into Papyrus’s mouth. His brother did not respond, and the dust was getting worse. Sans snarled and tore a bite out of the pastry. He chewed it up and placed it in Papyrus’s mouth, closing his teeth so that his magic would be forced to absorb it.

The dusting stopped.

Sans couldn’t hold back the sob that crashed out of his mouth. He bowed his head and hugged his brother tightly. Papyrus was still unconscious, but a quick check showed him that his HP was stable.

Sans raised his tear-soaked face and saw that the nuns were gone, only the woman who had let them in remained, watching him.

“Demons do not cry for their own,” she said, “what are you? A spirit?”

“I’m a monster, and I demand that you leave us alone.”

“I am under an oath to never turn away a soul in need, you may remain here as long as you need, and our walls will protect you.”

“It is _you_ and _your kind_ that will need protection!” Sans hissed, “it was a human that did this to my brother!”

“And it is a human offering you sanctuary,” the nun said. “Come, let’s put your brother somewhere more comfortable.”

The nun called herself Mother Superior, which confused Sans for a while, as she had no actual children. She led Sans to a part of the church that held the dormitories for the nuns. She gave Papyrus her room – a humble space with no decorations or ornaments, just a small bed and bathroom. The two of them stayed there for several days, Papyrus asleep and Sans keeping watch on the floor, never leaving his side. Mother Superior slept somewhere else, and only disturbed them to bring food, including a special broth for Papyrus.

She gave him news as well. Unrest was happening in the outside world, with monsters and humans fighting. Apparently, monsters had managed to drive out the humans from certain parts of the city and taken over the buildings there. Sans knew that he needed to get back to his comrades, but it was too dangerous to move Papyrus.

“I am a high-ranking member of the Royal Guard,” he told Mother Superior one day as she read the newspaper to him, talking about how humans were being pushed from the majority of Ebott. “I can guarantee your church’s safety in this war, but only if you give your holy oath to let Papyrus stay here and keep him safe.”

“It is my duty to protect everyone in these walls,” Mother Superior said, “Please, Sans, all we want is peace.”

“Did the humans want peace when they attacked us?” Sans snapped, “this is my offer, nun: the church will not be touched, the nuns and other humans living here will be safe as long as you let me hide Papyrus.”

“Wouldn’t he be safer with the other monsters?” Mother Superior asked.

“No, so long as there’s war the only safe place is a neutral zone. Humans won’t touch this place, nor will monsters. This is the best spot for him.”

“I want your word as a guardsman that the monsters won’t touch our home,” Superior said, “and that we’re allowed to take in human refuges.”

Sans thought about that, rubbing his chin. “Alright, on the condition that you keep a record of everyone that comes through the church – human or monster.”

Mother Superior nodded, and they shook on it. Papyrus was moved into the bell tower where Mother Superior promised he would be out of harm’s way and kept secret.

Papyrus woke up the day he was moved. He was too weak to protest as Sans explained the new living situation to him. He and Superior carried the skeleton upstairs to his new home, which had been furnished with a bed, wardrobe, and table by the nuns. Sans would later bring the kitchen supplies, TV, and game console.

While explaining everything, Sans realized something was very wrong.

Papyrus wasn’t talking.

He unwrapped the bandages from his brother’s neck and found a deep scar there. The monster food and rest had saved his life, but without proper healing, Papyrus had lost his voice.

Sans was thrown into a rage. Papyrus’s bedsheets were shredded in his claws, and he sent a wave of bones into the sidewall, splintering the wood.

Mother Superior and Papyrus both cowered, with the nun shielding the invalid. As if Papyrus was the one in danger and not her.

“Know this, nun,” Sans growled, “humans did this to my brother, and if anything happens to him, I will show no mercy. Do you understand?”

She nodded mutely, face blank, but eyes full of fear.

“If something happens to him and I find that you had any part of it, I will lock the doors of this church and burn it down with everyone inside. It’s vitally important to your welfare that you know I am serious.”

“Y-yes. I understand.”

“Good.”

It was a nuclear agreement, Sans didn’t hurt them, and they didn’t hurt his brother. She wouldn’t dare risk the church by taking in a convict, in fact - while they still provided food and temporary shelter - she had stopped taking in any new tenants after Sans had made repeated arrests of criminals who tried to hide there.

When he returned to the service of Queen Toriel and Alphys it turned the tide of the war in their favor. He was ruthless and helped them create strategies to oppress the humans. Things were looking up for monsters, and soon the entire city would be theirs.

If he could capture Fox, it would bring an end to the human resistance.

* * *

The trail ran cold in the neutral zone with Dogmay whining and desperately trying to pick up the scent. Sans called him off and took back the bandana.

“Don’t worry, we know she’s on this side of town now. We’ll flush her out. I want a platoon sent into the human neighborhood. Search every house, every basement and gutter, burn it all down if you must. I want her found. Let’s go.”

Dogmay went to retrieve more guards, but Sans didn’t wait. He marched into the street, and the humans there fled at the sight of him.

He went to the first house he saw and kicked down the door. Wood went flying, and a family of humans screamed, running back into a corner. Sans relished in their fear, stepping inside. The only sound was the thump of his boots on the wooden floor. Hollow.

He reached down and grabbed the rug off the floor, yanking it away to reveal a trapdoor underneath. When he opened it, he found men huddled down in a dirt cellar, staring up with fearful eyes.

“Harboring fugitives is a crime punishable by death,” Sans said, his horrible red eyes turning back on the terrified family in the corner.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see that Dogmay had returned with more soldiers.

“Burn it.”


	4. Seceret Notes

Fox giggled as Papyrus patted her hair causing dust to rise off her like Pigpen. He offered her a wet washcloth so that she could clean her face.

“Yeah, things got a little messing stealing a food truck, but I’m fine,” she said taking off her jacket to air it out. Papyrus prepared hot cocoa and they sat down together. Fox sighed with relief, glad to be off her feet and have something warm to clear her throat. “Thank you, I needed this,” she said, accepting the cup. “It’s been a stressful day. I saw your brother, he seems to be doing well.”

Pap smiled, exhaling a silent chuckle.

“Oh, I almost forgot, I got you another handy-dandy notebook,” Fox pulled a small, spiral-top notepad out of her pocket. “You said you were running out of paper and didn’t want Sans to know, so I got an extra for you.”

Papyrus gave her a thumbs up and accepted the gift. He opened to the first page and started doodling a little cartoon fox. He showed it to her, making her giggle.

“That’s so cute, you should draw more. Do little cartoons and comic pages, maybe I’ll get you a proper sketchbook next time.”

Papyrus shook his head and wrote, ‘too suspicious, I’ll ask Sans for one.’

“Good, cause I want a full portrait of myself by the great artist Papyrus.” Fox gave her hair a flick and looked at him over her shoulder. “Is this my good angle?”

She noticed a hint of pink touch Papyrus’s sharp cheek bones. Was he blushing?

He wrote, ‘all your angles are good.’

“Flattery will get you everywhere, mister skeleton.” Fox winked. “Do you want anything else for when I come back next time?”

‘Candy’.

Fox laughed. “Aw, is Sans holding out on you again?”

Papyrus nodded sadly.

“Well you’re not fat, just big-boned.”

Papyrus’s shoulders shuddered as he laughed, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

“What? Tired of my bone jokes already?” She laughed and stood up to check on her clothes. She had hung her jacket out the window and the wind seemed to have helped get most of the dirt off.

‘How’d you get so dirty robbing a truck?’ Papyrus asked.

“Oh! That was . . . from . . . oh, we ran into another truck hauling gravel and stuff? Some of it fell out. No one got hurt though.”

‘And Sans chased you?’

“Yeah, he is one persistent monster, really gives me a workout.” Fox put her jacket back on, but the smell of smoke caught her attention. She looked around before spotting a black plume rising up from below the church. It was coming from the human neighborhood.

“Oh god,” Fox gasped, realizing what she was seeing. The whole neighborhood seemed to be burning, several homes and businesses were in flames, with humans running around, trying to put it out. Their screams rose up from the streets to the church tower.

She recognized the tall, unmistakable form of Greater Dog in the crowd. The Royal Guard was doing this.

Papyrus came to her side, jaw dropping at the sight of the fire.

“My god, they must be looking for something. Or . . .” Fox gasped and covered her mouth. “Shit, I think they’re looking for me, Paps.”

The skeleton’s eyes widened with worry. He shook his head.

“I have to get down there, I need to . . . no, getting captured won’t solve anything. I need to lay low, go into hiding so that they’ll leave the humans alone.”

Papyrus shook his head again, trying to write on his notepad.

“I’m sorry, Papyrus, but it’s too dangerous. Sans must have gotten a lead during our chase today. I’m only putting humans in danger. I need to disappear for a while, until this blows over.”

‘Come back to me before you go,’ Papyrus scribbled quickly.

“I . . . when?”

‘Tomorrow. No Sans’.

“Okay, I’ll come by before I leave. I better go now, the humans will need help with the fire after the Royal Guard leave.”

Fox stood up and gave him a hug around the chest. Papyrus returned it, hugging her neck tightly, lingering a little too long.

“Don’t worry, I’ll see you soon, I’ll have candy and we’ll play Mario Kart, okay?”

Papyrus nodded and watched his friend disappear into the dumbwaiter, giving him a farewell wave.

He went to work, quickly washing her cup and putting it away, and making sure all traces of her visit were gone. Sans had a keen eye and would notice right away if there was a muddy footprint or dust anywhere. Just to be safe, Papyrus swept up.

A couple of hours later, there was a knock at the door. “Paps, you awake?” Sans called, stepping inside.

Papyrus gave his brother a two-fingered salute. He was sitting casually on his beanbag chair, playing video games. Sans heaved a deep sigh as he walked in, his white bones were covered in soot, and his uniform would definitely need cleaning.

Papyrus pointed to the kettle on his hotplate inquisitively.

“Yes, please,” Sans said, “something strong, it’s been a tiresome day.”

_Tap. Tap._

“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine, nothing worth getting into.”

Papyrus gave Sans a firm look.

“I was just in the neighborhood following a lead so I thought I’d stop in. It’s nothing.”

Papyrus pointed at his window, and Sans realized that the smoke was visible from that angle, still rising into the air.

“Yes, there was a little fire trouble, but its fine.”

Papyrus pulled his notebook out of his back pocket. ‘Humans live there.’

“Yes, it was a human I was searching for,” Sans grumbled.

‘Why?’

“Because they broke the law, that’s why! You break the law, you go to jail, it’s as simple as that.”

‘Maybe they just need help.’

Sans sighed. “I appreciate the altruism, Paps, but there’s no help for those animals. They only want to destroy us. They bombed The Wall.”

Papyrus frowned, brows furrowed together in disbelief.

“They endangered the lives of everyone by putting a big hole in the damn thing. Several civilians were injured, monster _and_ human. They don’t care about helping themselves, they just want destruction. I almost had the one responsible too!” Sans banged his fist on the table, and the kettle whistled, as if responding to the outburst.

Papyrus grabbed a mug and took it off the heat, mixing the water with some instant coffee. 

While Papyrus was busy, Sans glanced at his notebook on the table.

Wait, was that the one he got him? It looked kind of different, almost new. Sans took the cover between two fingers and lifted it to peer inside.

The first thing he noticed was the drawing of a cartoon fox. The next thing was one side of a conversation that they didn’t have:

“Too suspicious, I’ll ask Sans for one

all your angles are good

Candy

How’d you get so dirty robbing a truck?

And Sans chased you?

Tomorrow. No Sans’

Did a nun come up here? They knew this place was off limits. No, that wasn’t it . . .

_Dirty robbing a truck . . . Sans chased you . . . Tomorrow. No Sans._

The fox drawing.

The cover slipped from his fingers, falling back into place. Papyrus turned around and set the steaming cup of coffee on the table. Sans stared at him. Papyrus seemed annoyed by this, giving him a ‘ _what_?’ gesture.

Sans shook his head as if to clear it. “Sorry, just my mind wandering.”

_Fox was here. Fox was here. How? Why? How did she know? Must have found out. Using him. Using him to get to me . . ._

Sans sipped his drink, ignoring the scalding heat. He wanted to be mad at his brother for his recklessness, but he couldn’t blame him. Papyrus had been locked up for so long, Fox must have tricked him somehow, played on his naivety. This wasn’t Papyrus’s fault, of course not, this was Fox, that witch . . .

Then he smiled.

_Tap, tap._

“I’m just thinking about work. I’ve been dealing with a big problem there, but I think I just came up with a solution . . .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Try Dr. Dan's old fashioned, hickory-smoked comments! Good for what ails ya!


	5. The Trap

Fox panted with effort, working a garden hose to put out the last of the fire. Other humans were running around her, carrying buckets of water and dirt. They had managed to get control of the fires and keep them from spreading, but the houses that had been burned were unsalvageable. More homeless humans. The Royal Guard had left them defenseless, promising to come back if the terrorist attacks continued.

Fox coughed and took a drink of the hose water. She stank of smoke and was sweating from the heat. She wanted to help more, but it was too dangerous to stick around. She slipped away, taking a risk and making her way into the monster side of town. She kept to alleyways and picked up an empty cardboard box from a garbage bin so that it looked like she was delivering a package.

Unfortunately, her luck was for the worst that day.

“What do you think you’re doing here, human?”

Fox froze as an Aaron blocked her path, his strange seahorse-like body floating above the sidewalk. She tried to back away and was shoved by yet another monster, a Loox, that had come up behind her.

“Please,” she said meekly, “I’m just trying to run an errand . . .”

“Yeah? Is that errand planting more bombs?” The Aaron slapped the box out of her arms and slammed her against a wall, brick bit into her back.

“I would never-!”

“We’re sick of you humans!” the Loox said, summoning a ball of magic in his palm. “I can’t even walk down the street without fearing for my life!”

The Aaron flexed a heavily-muscled arm. “I think it’s time to take out a few humans, remind you that _we’re_ in charge.” He drew his fist back and threw a punch.

Fox dodged, ducking her head, and the Aaron’s fist met brick, making him wince. She tried to dance out of the way, but the Loox threw his magic, hitting her in the stomach. Fox screamed and hit the ground. The Aaron took the chance to pin her down and raise his fist again.

The blow never came, and the weight of the Aaron was suddenly gone.

Fox blinked her eyes open in surprise and saw none other than Grillby standing over her. Flames danced on the tips of his fingers as he stared down the other two monsters.

“You two got the gold to replace _my_ human?” Grillby asked. The Loox and Aaron took a step back.

“Sorry, Grillby,” the Loox muttered, “we didn’t know she was yours.”

“You’ve made her late. You going to make up for the missed time?” Grillby asked.

“Here,” the Aaron stepped forward and handed Grillby a few coins, “it’s all I’ve got on me.”

“Then you’d better stop by the restaurant later, and tip well.”

“Yeah,” the monsters muttered and shuffled away. Once they were out of sight Grillby turned and grabbed Fox by the upper arm, hauling her to her feet. She flinched at the rough treatment, but knew it was necessary. He dragged her down the street to his restaurant and shoved her through the door.

The bell jingled, but the restaurant appeared to be closed.

“You’re lucky I had to go to the store,” he said, “monsters have been restless since the attack, and humans are getting the brunt of it.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Fox said, “the human neighborhood was attacked earlier, Sans is looking for me and I need to go into hiding for a while.”

“Not here.”

“No, I was thinking the tunnel.”

The tunnel had been a project the rebellion had picked up early in the invasion. They had planned to dig under The Wall, but the work was too much for their small group, now it was a literal hidey-hole, a place where “criminal” humans lived – those that couldn’t show their faces. They had managed to build a small community down there. It wasn’t ideal, but was better than jail.

“I figured I could stay down there until the heat is off the humans.”

“What have I told you about puns?”

“Unintentional!” Fox threw her hands up in surrender. “Look, I can get to the tunnel myself, I just came to you because I need someone to watch over the resistance.”

“I’m sure I can set up a schedule with the other rebels,” Grillby shrugged. “I assume all further attacks are on hold?”

“Yeah, as long as Sans is keeping civilians hostage we can’t afford putting anyone in danger. Pass the word and maybe we can try again in a few weeks.”

“Alright. When are you going down?”

“Tomorrow, I have a sort of errand to take care of.”

“It would be best if you went tonight, as soon as possible.”

“I know, but I made a promise.”

* * *

Fox left her bag down in the basement before climbing up the dumbwaiter. She was all packed up to go into hiding and was looking forward to spending a couple of hours to hang out with Papyrus before leaving. She wouldn’t be able to leave the tunnel for several weeks, maybe even months, so she wanted to savor her freedom while she could.

She gave a knock and the door opened, revealing Papyrus. She pulled herself into the room, but when she turned to face Papyrus, he didn’t seem happy. He was staring at her coolly and held up a piece of paper that already had a message ready.

‘You lied. You attacked The Wall.’

Fox’s mouth dropped. She didn’t think Sans would have told him about such a worrisome event. She dropped her head shamefully.

“I’m sorry, Paps, I didn’t want to lie to you . . .”

He crossed his arms and turned away after writing another message. ‘You promised.’

“I know, I’m so sorry, but I had no choice! We had humans that needed to get out of the city, the monsters were going to put them in jail, but they’re just kids! Please understand . . .”

‘Sans could have been hurt.’

“No one got hurt, I made sure the Royal Guard was on the other side of the city before we detonated the bombs. Please don’t be mad. They were just kids, Pap, they wouldn’t have survived in jail.”

‘Then they shouldn’t have broken the law.’

“The law?” Fox began to seethe. “They didn’t break any law, Papyrus, they’re orphans and the monsters wanted to take them in as slaves! Forcing them to work in a factory instead of going to school or playing! Look, I know you don’t see how bad it is out there for humans, but the conditions are cruel, even other monsters think so! A fire monster named Grillby helped us set the bombs!”

Papyrus’s brows went up in recognition.

“What? You know him?”

He nodded.

“Well, he’s been helping us for a long time. If you can’t trust me then I can send him to come visit you-”

Papyrus cut her off by wrapping her in a hug. Fox sighed with relief, happy to have her friend back, and hugged him in return, arms wrapping around his spine.

“I’m sorry I broke my promise.”

He patted her head.

“That’s what humans are best at, isn’t it?” A dark voice said from the other side of the room.

Fox was so startled that she screamed, looking up to see the form of Sans standing in the corner, one of his eyes glowing in the shape of a target.

Bones shot up between her and Paps, separating them. Fox stumbled back while Papyrus tripped and fell to the floor. Fox screamed again as bones shot up all around her like a cage, tight and confining, glowing blue. She knew what that meant, move and die. One bone rested right under her chin so that she had to hold her head up, standing on her toes.

“You cunning little snake, I don’t know how you found my brother, but you can’t use him against me,” Sans snarled.

Fox twitched, brushing against one of the bones. An electric-like shock went up her hand, making her wince. “He’s my friend,” she whispered through gritted teeth.

“Enough of your lies.” Sans stepped forward, pulling a pair of shackles off his belt.

Papyrus jumped between them, holding his arms out and staring down at Sans uncertainly. He shook his head.

“Papyrus, I don’t know what she told you, but it’s all lies, she was just using you to get to me.”

The taller skeleton shook his head again.

“Get out of my way, Papyrus! Who are you going to trust? Your own brother, or this treacherous human?”

“You locked him away in here for years. That’s not what a good brother does,” Fox grunted.

“Shut up you witch!” Sans swiped his hand through the air, and another bone shot up, hitting her in the chin.

Fox cried out in pain and fell backwards, the blue bones causing more damage as they hit her body before disappearing. Papyrus gasped and turned to help her, and Sans took the opportunity to grab his arm. He shackled Papyrus’s wrist, then hooked the other end to an exposed pipe in the wall. Papyrus struggled and flailed, but Sans had always been so much stronger than him. He looked at Sans pleadingly, grabbing the fabric of his shirt.

Sans cupped his cheek firmly but gently. “I’m doing this to protect you. Everything I’ve done has been to protect you. Please just trust me, I won’t let a human hurt you ever again.”

Sans pulled himself out of Papyrus’s grasp and turned back to Fox who was trying to crawl away toward the dumbwaiter. With a snap of his fingers Sans turned her soul blue, and she collapsed to the floor as if a large weight had been dropped on her back.

Sans stomped forward. He planted his boots on either side of her body and kneeled down so that he could grab her hair in his claws. Fox hissed in pain as he yanked her head up.

“You will pay for all of this dearly,” he threatened, speaking lowly. “If my brother wasn’t here I would kill you myself.” He slammed her face to the floor, hard enough that splinters pierced her cheek.

_Clang! Clang!_ Papyrus banged his chain against the pipe. Sans ignored him, but stood up and pulled Fox with him, putting her in a choke hold she couldn’t escape from.

“The Royal Guard is waiting outside. I’ll come back to unlock you later.” With that he pulled Fox to the stairs, Papyrus’s protesting noises fading behind them.

_Finally, she was his._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thirsty? Take a swig of freshly-bottled comments, now made with 5% less cocaine.


	6. I'm Sorry

Fox shivered against the stone floor, she had been given a ragged linen dress to wear and the cell had no bed or blanket. The trial had been hilariously rushed with no attorney, just a courtroom, and very angry monsters shouting for her execution. She knew this day would eventually come, that she wouldn’t grow old with the path she had chosen, but her head still hung low with defeat. There was still so much to do. What would become of the rebellion?

The judge decided that a public execution was the best course of action, and since they didn’t want to take the time to build a gallows, the monster announced that she would be burned at the stake.

Fox tired hard not to cry, but it was difficult lying alone in that horrible cell, knowing what her fate was going to be, knowing that the humans of Ebott City were doomed.

Footsteps approached, and Fox instantly recognized the distinct sound of boots echoing down the hall. She turned her back to the bars, not looking as the footsteps came to a stop.

Then she heard the lock.

She quickly looked over her shoulder as Sans stepped inside, locking the door behind him. Fox stood up and braced herself, giving him a warning look. His expression was indifferent.

“What do you want?” She spat.

“I want to know how you found my brother,” Sans ordered, eyes narrow and threatening, “answer me honestly and maybe I’ll bring you a blanket, or food.”

“Papyrus found me,” she said with a huff, “he saved my life.”

Sans glared. “How? When?”

“Ask him.”

Sans shot forward and grabbed Fox, pushing her to the floor. She cried out as her back hit the hard stone. He grabbed her forearms, pressing her down. Fox thrashed, trying to buck him off. Sans only smirked and pressed a knee into her stomach.

“I know you’re lying, tell me how you found out!”

“Why? So you can make him even more of a prisoner?!”

Sans snarled and grabbed her hair, yanking her head to the side while keeping his other hand locked on her arm. Fox tried to hold back noises of pain.

“I can make this so much worse for you,” Sans whispered in her ear. Fox shuddered as his sharp teeth brushed her ear lobe. “You think things are bad now? I’ll fill your last days of life with torture.” His breath cascaded over her exposed neck as he breathed deeply.

Flowers and shampoo.

He released her hair and traced his finger softly over her cheek. Humans were so soft.

Then he drew his hand back and slapped her, hard.

Fox’s head jolted, but she made no noise. Sans pulled his hand back for another strike.

“I know what happened to you both,” Fox said quietly.

Sans’s hand paused.

“I know humans hurt you, and took your brother’s voice, and I know it probably means nothing to you now, but I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Tears began to run down her cheeks in steady rivulets, and Sans blinked in surprise, dropping his hand. “I love Paps, and I just want humans and monsters to find harmony, I never wanted to hurt anyone, I just wanted to help my people because they’re starving and scared! I’m so sorry for what we did to you, because if monsters are anything like Papyrus then they don’t deserve that!”

She was sobbing now, words blubbering away as she cried. Sans sat on his knees in shock. He had humans at his mercy before, crying, begging for forgiveness, he had never heard one say they were sorry.

He stood up without a word and quickly left. Fox sniffled and curled in on herself. She hadn’t expected anything she said to spare her from torture, but Sans had left her unharmed. A few minutes later, a guard came to her cell and dropped off a blanket and a bowl of soup, the first food she had since the trial.

Maybe she had reached him after all.

* * *

Sans stepped into the office of Captain Alphys, feeling oddly tired and confused. Before he had left the jail he had ordered the guard to bring their human prisoner some food and warmth. They didn’t want her dying in the cell before the execution after all.

She had left him feeling perplexed, and he did not like feeling perplexed. He liked knowing exactly what he wanted and why, but seeing her lying there between his legs, professing her love for Papyrus and peace . . . it was all lies, wasn’t it? That’s what humans did best.

But Papyrus had protected her, vouched for her. And . . . she had never harmed a monster. People had been hurt in her rebellious attacks, but no one ever died. She was always robbing food trucks, cutting off Nabstablook’s cameras, and using small-grade bombs. Sans had always assumed that was because the terrorists couldn’t afford proper bomb ingredients that would take lives, but maybe it had been purposeful, made for breaking things but not killing people.

She had said how sorry she was.

“What are you thinking about?” Alphys asked gruffly as Sans sat quietly on her office couch.

“The human,” he answered, lacing his fingers to rest his chin upon.

“Hm, I never did congratulate you on bringing her in,” Alphys said, “excellent work tracking her down, shame we didn’t find more.”

“I’m sure I could get her to name names,” Sans said.

“No, I want the execution done as soon as possible,” Alphys said, “monsters need this.”

“When is it taking place? Have you found a spot to hold it?”

“We’re going to use the street near the human neighborhood, I want all those traitorous humans to see it, let them know what happens to those that defy us. There’s room in the square nearby.”

“Are we sure about this? The trial was very rushed, maybe we should bring Toriel in on the matter.”

Alphys huffed and waved her clawed hand. “That grief-ridden goat can barely handle her normal duties, let alone this. Ever since Chara abandoned us she’s been a complete disgrace, I would barely call her queen.”

“But she is still queen. She might be angry if we execute a human without her knowledge.”

Alphys slammed a fist on her desk, and San’s teeth snapped shut.

“I want this human _dead_ ,” the monster growled. “When she’s gone the rebellion will fall, and Undyne will finally be avenged.”

Sans said nothing. He knew better than to speak whenever Alphys talked about Undyne. Papyrus might have lost his voice, but Undyne had lost her life in the initial attack outside the mountain. Already ruthless, Alphys had become a blood-thirsty berserker, slaying every human in that attack. The remains of those humans were still in that field, unburied, as a reminder to others.

“Monsters aren’t safe until humans are gone, you know this as well as me,” Alphys sighed, heaving her great shoulders. “I want you to oversee preparations for the execution, I want it ready by tomorrow night.”

Sans stiffened but knew better than to question her. Instead he stood up, bowed, and left the room.

* * *

The location Alphys had picked was near the church, too close for Sans’s liking, but it was too late to move it. A pole had been erected in the middle of what had once been a round-about and fuel was being delivered. Alphys had demanded wood and no hay. She wanted it to burn longer and with less smoke.

Sans looked up toward the church tower where his brother waited. They were in view, and he didn’t want Paps to see this. He made an excuse to the workers and slipped away to the church, entering through the basement and walking upstairs. He found Papyrus still chained to the pipe, dosing on the floor. His brother jerked awake when Sans stepped in.

“How are you feeling?”

Papyrus only glared.

“Don’t give me that, I’m mad at you too! How could you let a human up here? Trust one? You should have told me!” Sans grabbed Papyrus’s notepad and tossed it to him. “I want an answer, how could you trust a human?”

‘She is good.’

“No, she’s not! She’s a terrorist! I know you didn’t know that, but after what happened on the mountain how could you trust any human?”

Papyrus seemed to think about this for a moment, staring forlornly at the paper. Then he wrote, ‘because I trusted Chara, and they helped us.’

“Chara is different,” Sans scoffed, “and they abandoned us, in case you’ve forgotten.”

‘Of course they did, after the way we treated them. You attacked them and tried to take their soul. In case you’ve forgotten.’

Sans inhaled sharply, gritting his teeth. He stomped away, crossing his arms, and making a point of going to the mini fridge and fetching a water bottle, which he threw at Papyrus.

“You’re an idiot!”

Papyrus gave him a new paper, and drank his water while Sans read it. ‘Chara taught us to love and trust despite what monsters tried to do to them. I’m not scared of the humans, Sans, I can leave any time, but I stayed up here for you, because I ~~wanted you~~ didn’t want you to worry, and I got to be lazy and play video games all day, so, win win.”

Sans rolled his eyes at that.

‘I left Sanctuary on my own and went to the festival, that’s where I met Fox. I helped her escape the explosions’

“The explosions _she_ caused,” Sans retorted before continuing.

‘Having her here reminded me how much I missed other people, and how kind Chara was. Chara could have labeled all of monster kind as evil after what we did to them, but they didn’t, they helped us, and that’s what Fox wanted. She just wanted to help people.”

San’s grip tightened, claws shredding the paper. He threw it down.

“How can we risk it?” he murmured, staring at the floor, “how can we risk trusting the humans? They tried to kill us, if we let them go . . .” he trailed off.

Papyrus sprawled himself across the floor to write on the paper Sans had dropped. ‘Is genocide better?’ he wrote.

Sans sighed and turned away. “It’s too late anyway. Even if we tried now . . .” he shook his head. “Sorry to leave you like this, I’ll be back tomorrow night and unlock you.” Sans put some food nearby, ignoring the questions Papyrus wrote down. Papyrus threw his pen in frustration, hitting Sans in the head. The pen connecting with bone made with a hollow echo.

What was too late? Why not unlock him now? Why tomorrow?

Sans only looked away sadly. “I’ll see you soon, brother.” He turned away.

_Taptaptap!_

Sans didn’t look back as he left.

_TAPTAPTAP!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment or Sans will put YOU in jail and pin you down, and grab your hair . . .  
> Wait . . .


	7. Burning

Fox shivered, the night air was very cold, which was ironic, because soon it would become unbearably hot. She was bound tightly to the pole set up in the middle of the street, hands tied behind her, with more rope around her waist and arms. Guards were placing wood around her feet and soaking it in lighter fluid.

Several feet away, humans had been gathered, forced out of their homes to stand and watch the execution. Their eyes stared at her mournfully, shining in the streetlights. The royal guard stood posed, keeping them in line.

As they finished piling the wood, Captain Alphys stepped forward. She was an intimidating monster, large and dinosaur-like, with yellow, leathery skin. It was surprising to see her there, as the captain never went to public events.

“Listen well human scum,” Alphys shouted to the crowd. Her voice bellowed without the need for a microphone. Somewhere a child started crying. “As you showed no mercy for us, neither will we show mercy for you! Acts of defiance against our government will be met with a slow, painful death! This female you see before you has been found guilty on charges of terrorism, and has been sentenced to death by fire. Watch carefully, because it will be your fate if any of you resist, and trust me – no protest is too small to escape justice.”

Alphys turned and nodded to someone behind Fox. She turned her head and jumped at the sight of fire as Sans stepped forward holding a blazing torch. She couldn’t stop her body from shaking at the sight of the fire. She focused on her breath and turned her face away.

“Renounce the rebellion,” Sans’s voice hissed at her.

Fox jerked her head, startled. He stood directly beside her, eyes staring forward, watching Alphys as she stepped clear of the burn zone.

“Promise to give up the other members, I’ll get you free.”

Fox could only stare at him in shock. He wanted to save her?

Alphys shouted the order. Sans looked at Fox, one last chance.

Fox turned her head up to the sky, holding herself with dignity, though she was scared out of her mind. She wouldn’t give up the others. Never.

Sans tightened his grip on the torch, growling, “don’t be stupid.”

“Lieutenant! Lay the fire!” Alphys shouted.

Sans sighed. It was too late now. He stepped back and dropped the torch. The moment it touched the pile of wood it immediately caught, the smell of burning gasoline hit Fox’s nostrils like a punch to the face, and the fire rose around her, an inescapable wall. Fox shut her eyes and started to scream.

* * *

Papyrus stared at his feet, arm hanging limply from the shackle. The pages of his last conversation with Sans lay scattered around him, along with the doodle of the fox he had made for his friend.

Why did Sans say it was too late? Why leave him chained up like this? What was he doing to Fox?

With a frustrated sigh he heaved himself up so that he could look out the window. The sun had set a while ago, and the city had gone dark.

No, that wasn’t true, there was some light in the street below. Papyrus frowned, not recalling seeing light there before. He moved toward the window as close as he could get, stretching his arm to do so. The source was a few streets away, but he could make out a crowd of people. The light was from a fire. Was Sans burning more human establishments? No, this was happening in the middle of the street, and the fire was in a circle, contained.

Suddenly it clicked, and Papyrus felt his soul plummet.

Fox was down there, they were going to kill her.

He jolted forward, as if to jump out the window, but the chain rattled, keeping him in place. His breath came in fast and heavy as he looked around for some way to free himself, but of course there was nothing in the little room. After years of living there he knew it inside and out.

All those years hiding out while the world was in turmoil around him. He had lied when he said he wasn’t afraid of humans, he had been afraid after waking up on the surface with no voice. He had been happy to let Sans take control and do what he thought was best, even if it meant he was basically a prisoner.

_I know you don’t see how bad it is out there for humans, but the conditions are cruel . . ._

He had turned a blind eye to it all, grateful that there was no news in his safe haven. Maybe if he had been more brave he could have changed the tide of all this, stopped his brother and steered him toward peace.

But Sans was right, it was too late for any of that.

All that mattered was what he did now.

Papyrus clenched a boney fist, gritting his teeth, and tapped into the magic he had long left stagnant. It stirred shyly within him, having been left unused for so long, buried by the fear that had plagued him through the underground and the surface. He pushed his fear aside, remembering Fox.

His eyes snapped opened, and his left socket blazed with light.

A bone shot out of the ground, hitting the chain and shattering the links, sending pieces of metal across the floor. In a blink Papyrus disappeared from the church and touched down on pathed street outside. His glowing eye narrowed on the fire several blocks down and he teleported again, appearing amongst the crowd and startling a couple of humans.

Fox was there, bound to a pole while a horrible-smelling fire raged around her. Her figure was distorted by the air waving in the heat, and she was coughing violently as the smoke rose past her.

Papyrus growled deeply, causing the humans to scream and back away. He ran forward, parting the crowd and shooting past the startled royal guard. He leapt off the ground over the burning wood. Fire lapped at his clothes, making them smolder, but he didn’t notice the heat. He landed in front of Fox, her head hanging limply as she gasped for clean air. 

Papyrus summoned a bone in his hand giving it a sharpened point, and slashed it across the rope that held her in place. Fox slumped forward, barely conscious against his ribs. Papyrus grasped her, soul pounding at the sensation. He scooped her up into his arms and turned toward the crowd. The air was filled with gasps and shouts. Through the smoke he could see Sans staring at him with a disbelieving gaze, teeth parted in awe.

Alphys was there as well, fire reflecting of her dark, unforgiving eyes.

Papyrus lifted Fox up over his head, balancing her on his hands with one palm pressed between her shoulders, and the other beneath her knees. He raised her for all to see, and with his broken voice shouted out, " _sanctuary_!”

The humans erupted into cheers and began pushing against the royal guard, surging forward. Alphys turned to face them, and with her distracted, Papyrus summoned a gaster blaster to his side. The skull materialized beside him, sharp, terrifying eyes staring out at the crowd, and the barrel of a Gatling gun clasped in its teeth. He jumped upon its head, clutching Fox to his chest. At his silent command the skull turned away from the chaos, flying through the night toward the church.

Papyrus looked over his shoulder, giving a parting glance to his brother, who stared after him. Papyrus only smiled and urged the gaster blaster to speed up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally had different font sizes for Papyrus's speech to indicate the difficulty he had talking, but it didn't format onto AO3.


	8. And Plunge Them into the Fiery Pit

Alphys roared with rage, pulling her signature weapon from her back – an axe – and swiping it at the humans that ran past her. She shoved one over with her arm, and raised the weapon over her head, ready to bring it down on the helpless human.

A bone caught the blade, and she looked up in shock to see Sans standing there, shielding the human. Alphys yanked her axe away and the human scrambled to their feet. Sans put himself between her and the civilian, letting them get away.

“Traitor! Did you and your brother plan this?”

“No more, Alphys,” Sans said, pointing his bone weapon at her, “I hate the humans as much as you, but it has to stop.”

“It will stop, once all the humans are dead!” Alphys snarled and swung her axe down on him. Sans blocked it and jumped away.

“Undyne wouldn’t want this!”

“Too bad she’s dead and doesn’t get a say!” Alphys struck again. This time the power behind her hit knocked Sans back, sending him flying and landing on his back.

The fire was now out of control. In the chaos the burning logs had been spread through the courtyard, filling the air with sparks and lighting up the night.

Alphys turned her weapon, hitting Sans with the blunt handle across the face, sending blood-red marrow over the stones. “You and your brother can burn with the human,” she spat, turning away and leaving Sans half-conscious on the ground. She set her sights to the sky where she could just make out the white outline of Papyrus’s gaster blaster flying toward the tower of a nearby church.

She clutched her weapon and marched forward.

* * *

Papyrus stared down at Fox’s slack face as they flew through the night, one arm cradling her while the other kept his balance on the gaster blaster. Fox didn’t move, and he couldn’t tell if she was breathing.

When they reached the tower, Papyrus quickly pulled her inside through the window and laid her down on his bed. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and forced the water between her lips. The liquid filled her mouth and overflowed, running down her cheek. She didn’t wake.

“N- no . . .” Papyrus cupped her face in his hands, wondering if the warmth he felt in her cheeks was from life or the fire. His pressed his forehead to hers, and a sharp gasped escaped him as he started to sob.

_Wake up, please . . ._

He squeezed her tight, summoning his healing magic. He didn’t know where to direct it, so he covered her in it, both their bodies glowing green. But he couldn’t hold it for long. Summoning the bones and gaster blaster had left him exhausted, and he could barely sustain it. The green glow faded and he slumped forward, trying to catch his breath.

“So, this is where San hid you away.”

Papyrus jumped in shock, turning to see Alphys standing in the room. She was blackened with ash, holding her axe at her side. Papyrus stiffened and tightened his grip on Fox.

“We thought you had died, but looks like you were just a coward, shut away in your little tower.” Alphys stepped forward, hefting her axe into both hands. “Too bad big brother isn’t here to save you.”

Papyrus only stared, trying to find a piece of determination beyond his grief as Alphys took another step.

Then, in his arms, he heard a tiny gasp as Fox inhaled.

“Paps . . .” she rasped.

“She lives?!”

Papyrus snatched Fox up in his arms and ducked away as Alphys brought her axe down on them. The blade went into the floor, and while she yanked it back out, Papyrus ran to the window. He pulled Fox over his shoulders, her arms and legs dangling weakly as he crawled through the window and pulled himself onto the ledge of the roof. He felt air hit his ankle and glanced down as Alphys swiped her claws at him.

He pulled himself up, gasping and struggling from the extra weight. He collapsed onto the roof, body shaking with effort as he pulled himself up. Fox stirred and he slipped her off his shoulders to hold her tight around the waist. She looked up at him with blurry eyes.

He heard the crack of wood and turned around. Alphys had sunk her claws into the ledge and was pulling herself up after them, eyes wild with rage. Papyrus tried to pull himself and Fox to the other side of the roof’s point, but neither of them had the strength. He watched fearfully as their pursuer stood up to her full height, teeth shining as she grinned victoriously.

“I will smite down all the humans in Ebott!” She declared, swinging the blade up over her head. Papyrus shielded Fox and waited for the final blow.

Alphys stopped, grunting with effort, then screaming angerly. She spun around, and there stood Sans, marrow running down his face, bones stained with soot, but standing determinedly, clutching the handle of Alphys’s axe in one hand.

“Stay away from my brother,” he growled.

Alphys tried to yank her weapon back, but Sans held fast, snatching it in both hands and swinging her around so that he was between her and the other two.

Papyrus stood up to help, but the powerful monsters made the roof shudder, causing him to lose his balance. With a yelp he fell onto his back and went sliding. At the last moment he managed to turn onto his stomach and catch the ledge in his hands, dangling over the edge.

Fox rushed forward, laying down on her stomach and grabbing his wrist. She was too weak to pull him up, but she held fast. “Hold on,” she begged, “hold on.”

Behind them the clash between Sans and Alphys was putting holes in the old church roof. They continued to struggle for possession of the axe, with Alphys’s greater size giving her the upper hand. She planted her foot on Sans’s chest and kicked him off. The small skeleton went rolling across the roof.

She turned her attention to the human, Fox’s helpless position was too enticing. Putting her back to Sans she raised her axe again, cackling madly as she stood over Fox and Papyrus. Fox looked up at her with terror but didn’t yield.

“Let go,” Papyrus gasped.

Fox only tightened her grip. 

“No!”

Sans charged forward and slammed himself into Alphys, making her stumble. She spun around, axe still raised. Sans watched as his captain began to tip over, the weight of her weapon paired with the unstable roof shingles sending her over the edge. Sans’s eyelights dilated with fear and he reached forward to grab her, but it was too late. The monster plummeted over the edge soundlessly, disappearing into the darkness below. A moment later they heard the impact, and a shudder ran through the group.

A straining grunt from Fox caught Sans’s attention and he darted toward them, grabbing Papyrus’s other arm and pulling him up to safety.

The three of them collapsed, panting and shaking.

“Papyrus, I know you’re tired, but please . . .” Sans sighed.

Papyrus nodded, and, grabbing the other two, teleported them back into his room. They all sank to the floor, tired and relieved. Fox locked eyes with Papyrus and grabbed him in a tight hug. Sans watched them patiently.

“Are you okay?” she whispered.

Payrus nodded. Fox sniffed, tears leaking from her eyes.

Sans cleared his throat. They parted from their hug. “I need to return to the square and calm things down. I think it’s best if you two stay here. Are you both alright?”

They nodded mutely. Sans stood up, brushing himself off and straightening up as if he didn’t just battle his own captain on the rooftop.

“Sans . . .” Fox stopped him, “the humans . . ?”

“No harm will come to them,” Sans said curtly.

Fox smiled and turned back to Papyrus, clutching his hands and checking him over for injuries. Sans left the church, stopping outside to check the grounds where Alphys landed.

To his dismay there was a pile of dust waiting for him. Sans sighed and lowered himself to one knee out of respect. He wasn’t a sentimental monster, but Alphys had been his captain since he joined the guard and taught him everything he knew. Perhaps if she hadn’t had lost Undyne, things would have been different.

Rising, he headed back to the square. He was in charge now, and it was time to put things right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had originally planned to end the story here, but inspiration struck, and so it continues!


	9. Moving In

Fox woke up in Papyrus’s arms. He wasn’t on his bean bag, but properly in bed with her, holding on tight. She touched his arm curiously, taking in the feeling of exposed bone. He was surprisingly warm.

He stirred awake as she stroked his arm, blinking sleepily.

“Hey,” she whispered, not wanting to disturb the quiet of the morning. Her voice was hoarse, and coughed in protest. Papyrus touched her head reassuringly, then rose, his gangly body swaying groggily as he moved across the room to the kitchenette. He came back with a cup of water, then crashed back into the mattress. Fox smiled and drank.

_Tap. Tap._

“Hm?”

Papyrus raised his hand and it glowed green.

“No, I think I’m alright,” Fox said, “just feel like sleeping for a year.”

Papyrus nodded in agreement then put his arms around her, dragging her down into the bed as if confirming that they could indeed sleep for that long.

It was not to be as footsteps echoed up the stairs. They both looked at the door as it opened and Sans stepped in. He was wearing the same outfit from last night, and, judging by his dim eyelights, hadn’t gotten any sleep.

Fox stiffened at the sight of him. Papyrus just rolled over casually.

“Coffee,” Sans grumbled, stomping across the floor to the table. Papyrus sighed but rose.

“I don’t want to hear it you lazy bones! I was up all night dealing with the chaos _you_ caused. And YOU!” He pointed a finger at Fox. She rose on her haunches, shoulders rising. “You think just because you saved my brother’s life I won’t arrest you?”

Fox was ready to run, but then a playful smirk danced across Sans’s face. He scoffed at her and turned away.

“I’ll do worse than that. I’m going to make you work for me.”

“What?” Fox croaked. She took another drink. Papyrus watched them while the water boiled. “If you think I’ll be your servant then you might as well take me back to the stake.”

“I had something else in mind,” Sans said, “how about ‘human ambassador?’”

Fox stood up, finally relaxing a bit, and went to the table. “You saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Now that Alphys is gone I am the new Captain of the Guard, and I think it’s time we integrated the town and set the humans free.”

Fox’s mouth popped open in surprise. “You’re serious? Just like that?”

“No, not ‘just like that’. There’s a lot of work to do, and it’s going to be difficult, but if we do things officially, have humans and monsters working for peace, then it just might be possible.”

The kettle whistled and Papyrus joined them with cups of coffee. He took out his notebook and wrote, ‘What if humans retaliate?’

“That’s why I need Fox to act as ambassador, to be a voice for the humans and ask them not to. I think, after seeing what you did for Fox last night, the humans will be more accepting. Napaston’s cameras captured everything of course – a monster saving a human.”

“I mean, of course I’ll do it,” Fox said, “it’s all I’ve ever wanted, to do things legitimately. But I want all humans freed from servitude immediately, and – ”

Sans raised a hand to stop her. “We will, first we must meet with the queen, she can give the executive order. Also both you and Papyrus will be moving in with me.”

Papyrus perked up at that, raising a bone brow.

“Me? Living with you two?”

“Yes, for now at least. It’s time Papyrus moved out of this bell tower, and it’ll be safest if you stay with us.”

“Two days ago you wanted to torture me,” Fox challenged.

“Don’t hold a grudge, human, it’s unbecoming.” Sans drank his coffee and seemed to be revitalized by it, the dark shadows under his eyes disappearing.

Papyrus tapped her shoulder. ‘You should stay with us, it’ll be nice to have you.”

Fox sighed. “You know I can’t say no to you.”

“Good, that’s settled then,” Sans put his cup down, the clank of porcelain on wood making the other two jump. “Papyrus, start packing, I’ll be back this afternoon to fetch you. Human, we’ll be meeting with the queen tomorrow so . . .” he eyed her, “we’ll have to get you proper clothes.”

“These are the clothes _you_ put me in,” Fox snapped, “you know, when I was in jail.”

Sans waved his hand in the air, brushing her off. “No lazing about, I expect you to be ready when I get back.” With that, the skeleton marched out of the room, and his heavy footfalls could be heard echoing all the way down the stairs.

Papyrus and Fox met gazes. He held up a piece of paper. ‘Back to bed?’

“God yes.”

They returned to the mattress and collapsed onto it together. Fox wrapped herself around Papyrus, and he squeezed her in return, putting them both to sleep right away.

When they woke up again, it was to Sans slamming the door open. “Get up you layabouts! Papyrus, get your things in these boxes, and give Fox a hoodie, she’s unsightly!”

Fox jolted to her feet, heart hammering as Sans tornadoed through the room, grabbing things and putting them in a cardboard box. He tossed a suitcase to Papyrus, who missed and let it slide across the floor instead. He went to his wardrobe and started stuffing clothes in it. He handed her one of his hoodies, and she slipped it on. The tall monster’s clothes went down to her knees and over her hands.

There was nothing more for her to do than watch the boys pack. There wasn’t much to bring. Sans said he would come back for the appliances, so they gathered up the carvings, video games, and clothes. Sans pulled the hood over Fox’s head, hiding her well, then took her arm. Her first instinct was to yank herself away, but she let the skeleton guide her down the stairs, deciding to be amicable for the time being.

Things were happening fast, and she felt more like a fear-frozen doe than a quick-thinking fox. They were down the stairs and walking through the church, their footsteps echoing in the otherwise quiet building. Then they were outside, and before Fox could lift her head to look around she was pushed into a car. Papyrus was right behind her.

Sans got into the driver’s seat and sped away, pushing Fox and Papyrus back into their seats. Fox found herself pressing up against Papyrus, holding his arm. The further they went the more scared she felt. She didn’t trust Sans, even after what happened last night. What if he was just protecting his brother and still wanted to arrest her? She would have to be careful and stay on her toes.

The car stopped and Sans opened the door, pulling her hood back down and practically dragging Fox out of the car. Her heart started to pound, but she took comfort from Papyrus. She was able to get a brief glimpse of their new location. It was a very modest house in a spaced-out neighborhood. Before she could get a good look they were rushed inside and the door was shut.

Fox pushed her hood back. The interior was very much to Sans’s taste, everything was very clean and minimal, and looked hardly used. The house was painted in dark tones and elegant finishes.

“I have a guest room that I’ve kept empty for your return, Papyrus,” Sans said setting a box down. “I’ll convert my study into a bedroom, but until then I assume the couch will suffice for the human.”

Fox looked toward said furniture, ready to feel insulted but it actually looked very inviting, large and plush.

Sans continued, “I will get you some clothes when I go out today. I want both of you to stay inside and out of sight, there’s much unrest and I have a lot of work to do without worrying about your whereabouts.” Sans paused to look down at himself and sighed. “I must change. Papyrus go unpack your things. Human, feel free to use our facilities and make yourself comfortable.”

Sans walked upstairs as he finished giving his orders and disappeared into a different room. She and Papyrus shared a look. He looked as frazzled as she felt.

“I’m hungry,” she said.

Papyrus looked over her shoulder, across the living room was a kitchen and they both wandered towards it. They split up, checking the cabinets and refrigerator. Most of the food was single meals that could be made in a microwave, especially burritos. Papyrus had better luck, he found a stash of sinnakitties and they each had one. Fox was craving something a bit more substantial, so she started pulling out ingredients, finding eggs, butter, and some cheese slices for sandwiches. She started whisking up some omelets while Papyrus stood and watched.

While the food cooked Sans came back downstairs, freshly dressed and looking much cleaner. He paused, spotting them in the kitchen, a half-dressed human with a spatula and his brother looking lost.

“Ah, yes I’ll have to get some groceries for us,” Sans said. “I have to run. Stay here.” Then he ran outside, slamming the door.

Fox and Papyrus blinked after him, then turned back to the food. Fox served it up and they ate heartily. After that they started to wander, picking up boxes and going upstairs. Fox asked which rooms were which and he could only shrug, so they went through them all.

First was a bathroom, then a bedroom that obviously belonged to Sans. Next was the study he had mentioned, and it was like a room from a different house. It appeared to be the only place he actually used. There was a large, handsome desk covered in well-organized paperwork, with a corkboard on the wall equally covered. In the corner was an armchair with a side table that had a few too many coffee cups. File cabinets occupied the rest of the room.

“Bit of a workaholic, eh?” Fox said, “I’m not surprised though, doesn’t seem like there’s anything else in this house to occupy him.”

The final door was the guest room, empty of personal things and with neutral bedcovers. Papyrus set his stuff down and, noticing a TV on the far wall, pulled out his game console.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” Fox said, “I smell like smoke.” She started to leave then paused, “I don’t suppose Sans has shampoo, huh?”

Papyrus smiled and rubbed his ‘bald’ head.

“Yeah, figures.”

Fox ran the shower anyway. Sans did have soap, so she scrubbed herself down and threw away the dress she had been wearing. There was so much soot to scrub off. The water turned black, and there was ash under her fingernails. Fox cleaned until her skin was red, and as the water got too hot and the steam rose she found it harder to breath.

Deep breaths. Stay calm. You’re okay.

She quickly turned the water off and left the bathroom opting to just wear Papyrus’s hoodie. She tied her hair up in a towel and wandered back to Papyrus’s room, where he had his video games set up and was tapping away on his controller. Fox collapsed next to him. She felt so tired.

“Paps, tell me straight, is your brother on the up-n-up? Does he really want to work together with me?” She couldn’t hide the worry in her voice.

Papyrus paused his game, wrote something down, then went back to playing.

‘Hard to say. Sans isn’t honest, even with me. He’ll do what he thinks is best, and I’m not always sure what that is. BUT he’s not tricky, he would just arrest you, not go through all this.”

“I guess that’s some assurance.” Fox tossed the paper down and rolled onto her back. Papyrus tapped her forehead and pointed at his controller.

“Nah, I’ll just watch you play for now, I’m uh . . .” Fox choked on her words, and realized that, quite suddenly, she was crying. Her body was shaking. She quickly sat up and wiped her face, but couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

Papyrus frowned at her and put his controller aside.

“I- I don’t know what’s wrong with me . . . I . . .” Fox hugged herself, trying to stop shaking. “I . . . I’m sorry . . . I . . . I almost died, Papy!”

Then she broke down.

Whatever had been holding her together suddenly shattered, like a dam she didn’t realize she had built. Fox collapsed into Papyrus as he caught her, sobbing, practically screaming. Papyrus began stroking her back with his bone fingers. She hooked her hands into his collarbone to hold herself up.

“I almost died! They were going to burn me-!”

More sobbing and screaming. More stroking, but now Papyrus’s hands were shaking too.

“You saved me . . .”

It felt like she might never stop crying, but finally the tears slowed and her cries turned to gasps for air. Papyrus pulled away, taking note of her snotty face and cracked lips. He wrote something down and left the room.

‘I’ll always save you.’

He returned with some tissues and water. Fox cleaned herself up and drank it all down. Her head was pounding and it was obviously time for rest.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “I don’t know . . . everything happened so fast and . . .”

Papyrus patted her back.

“It’s like I finally stopped moving and everything just hit me at once. Can I sleep in here? Your game won’t bother me.”

Papyrus nodded. Fox pulled the towel off her head and tossed it to the floor before getting under the covers. Papyrus patted her hip as she rolled onto her side, wet hair fanned out over the pillow.

Papyrus resumed playing, and the sounds of his game acted as a lullaby, sending her to sleep.

* * *

When she woke up it was dark outside.

Something was on her face. Fox shook her head, bewildered, as a piece of paper fluttered against her nose. She reached up and realized the paper was taped to her forehead. She turned it around and squinted at the words.

‘Do not disturb.’

Fox smiled, yawned, then rose. Her bare feet pressed into the carpet as she left the room. She could hear Sans talking as she walked down the hall to the stairs. His voice echoed from the kitchen.

“No! None of that disgusting ramen, when you live here you eat healthy food! . . . Well I already moved out all the appliances so you _can’t_ move back into the tower. . . Fine but I’m putting vegetables in the ramen and you’re going to eat them!”

Fox entered the kitchen where Sans was out of uniform and in an apron cooking while Papyrus sat on the table writing notes. It was bizarre seeing Sans in house clothes – black shirt, dark jeans, and a red apron. His feet were bare and she found herself staring at the tiny toe bones.

“Human! Excellent! I am creating dinner now. There’s a bag of clothes in the living room for you. The maleficent Sans has an excellent eye for measurements but double check that it fits.”

Fox located said bag and pulled out the clothes inside. The first thing she found was a business casual dress, with a collar and buttons, and a modest hem ending at the knees. It came with a red silk scarf that could be tied into an elegant bow around the neck.

She was pleased to see that there were casual clothes as well. Black leggings and a tunic shirt. He even remembered underwear. Fox eagerly took these into the bathroom, putting on the underwear and leggings.

“I appreciate the clothes, Sans,” Fox said when she returned to the kitchen.

“The dress is of excellent quality; you need to look your best for the queen tomorrow!”

“What time is that?”

“Early, 8 a.m. and we will not be late!”

“Papyrus? Are you coming?”

Pap looked up and shrugged.

“It is not necessary for him to come!”

“He saved me though, he’s on the human’s side so he can vouch-”

“I am on the human’s side! Two skeletons are not necessary! Papyrus has no political power but I am captain of the Royal Guard now, the queen will listen to me!”

“She will?”

“Of course!”

Fox wasn’t so sure. She had never heard from the queen before. No speeches or executive orders. Would she help them? Or would she opt to keep monsters in control?

Fox couldn’t risk it. She needed a backup plan incase things didn’t go as smoothly as Sans promised. She would be in the same room as the queen, and she would never have this chance again.

If Toriel didn’t take their side, then Fox needed to remove her from the top.


	10. Illustration Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take a reading break and enjoy some character illustrations.

Random story doodles.


	11. Meeting Royalty

Fox focused on her breathing. The collar of her dress felt so tight, her palms so sweaty. She was wearing pantyhose and heels after a lifetime of loose pants and sneakers. It did look pretty on her, especially with the silk scarf, but she felt confined. If she had to make a move against the queen, chances are she wasn’t getting away.

On her hip, the kitchen knife she had stolen felt incredibly heavy and obvious, taped into place with duct tape she had found in the night after the skeleton brothers had fallen asleep.

She stayed behind Sans, walking after him as they entered what used to be the courthouse. It had become the monster palace after they had taken over, with the queen and a few other high officials living inside. Two knights stood at the door and spoke to Sans before letting them in.

Her heels echoed on the tiled floor. The building was quiet. There didn’t seem to be much business going on. They took the elevator to the top floor. Fox focused on her breathing.

The top floor was no longer made up of several offices but had been opened up into a large throne room. Vases of yellow flowers lined the walls, sunlight fell in from the open windows, and at the far end was the throne, hailed by black and red banners printed with the deltarune.

Sitting at the throne was Queen Toriel. Her yellow goat eyes watched them calmly as they approached. She wore a regal dress and velvet-red cape. Golden rings decorated her horns, and a three-pronged trident leaned against her chair.

“Welcome, Captain,” she said in a gentle voice, “your human attendant may wait outside.”

“Your majesty, this human is part of our meeting. This is Fox, and she is a representative for the humans.”

“I was under the impression that we were to discuss your promotion,” Toriel said, her gaze narrowing.

“Yes, your majesty, and as Captain there is an important issue with the humans that we must discuss.”

They reached the throne and Sans bowed. Fox gave a stiff curtsey.

“And what issue is that?”

“Their mistreatment, my queen. Under Alphys’s orders the humans have long faced oppression. Fox is an ambassador and wishes to discuss peace between the two species.”

Toriel smirked and looked at Fox. “From what I understand there already is peace for monsters.”

“At the cost of human freedom . . . your majesty,” Fox cut in. “We have been segregated and starved, forced to work for monsters for our very survival.”

“Is that so terrible?” Toriel asked, “working for monsters?”

“It is when the humans are abused and given no wages!”

Sans shot his hand out and squeezed Fox’s arm tightly, a silent warning about her rising tone.

“Hmm. I have found the humans to be very violent and abusive toward us when we first surfaced,” Toriel said, “it seems counterproductive to give them freedoms when those freedoms would be used to hurt my people. Captain, surely you can imagine the discrimination, gang wars, and civil unrest we would face?”

“Yes, your majesty,” Sans said, “it might be a problem at first, but with monsters in control we can keep a firm grip on the humans and quell any uprising. In the long run working toward human peace will be more beneficial.”

“How so? Sounds like we have free labor and safety.”

“It’s not safe,” Fox said, “do you think the humans won’t rebel eventually? Outside help will come one day, do you want them to see the tyranny monsters have created? Or a harmonious community that we can create together?”

“Is this a worry of ours, Captain?”

“As long as one side is oppressed by the other, war is always a worry,” Sans said. “Freeing the humans will cause short-term conflict now, but keeping them oppressed will mean that we are always in danger, always checking over our shoulders for enemies.”

“Then perhaps it’s time for humans to leave Ebott,” Toriel said tapping a claw against her chin. “All of them.”

Fox’s back went ramrod straight. “But, this is our home . . .”

“If monsters and humans can’t get along then this seems the best option. Make this town monsters-only. Of course those in servitude should stay, but for the rest . . . banishment.”

“You can’t do that!”

“Hold your tongue in front of the queen!” Sans snapped, yanking her arm. “My lady, your word is my duty, but banishment might lead to retaliation from the outside, ruin any chance of trades. Our resources won’t last forever.”

Toriel stood up and stepped down from her throne. Sans released Fox to straighten up, eyes looking straight ahead.

“I wouldn’t expect this kind of support for the humans from you, Sans. You’ve always been vocal about your hatred for humans, and after Chara disappeared I was inclined to listen. What has changed? What has this human done to put you under her control? Blackmail? Brainwashing?”

“No!” Fox said.

“Of course not, my queen, I would never fall under such entrapment.”

“Then prove you’re still loyal to me. Kill this human. Now.”

Fox’s mouth dropped. She couldn’t be serious. “Your majesty, this is a diplomatic meeting!”

“Really? Because all I see is a whining human, and a monster who’s about to join her in jail.”

Sans hesitated, then summoned a bone in his hand, his face blank. Toriel smiled.

“You see human, in this world it’s oppress or be oppressed. Nothing is more important than the safety of my people. I would love to accept you all as my children, but if you’re unwilling to serve monsterkind, then you’re an enemy. Sans,” Toriel nodded to the skeleton and turned away.

Sans raised his bone, eyelights gone.

Fox reached under her dress, yanking the knife off her hip.

They lunged at the same time. San’s bone glowed red while Fox’s knife flashed in the light. Then there was another flash of magic, and Papyrus appeared, standing between the two of them with a blue bone in his hand, blocking Sans’s attack.

Fox saw her opportunity and took it. She jumped toward the queen, knife raised in the air. The goat monster looked over her shoulder, eyes glinting from the light of the fire she summoned.

The knife came down as the flames rose.

“Stop!”

Fox’s knife sliced through fabric, and a fireball singed her hair, but neither attack made fatal contact. Fox fell to the floor, weapon clattering to the ground. She rolled over, ready to meet Toriel’s next barrage, but the queen’s attention was locked on something across the room.

Another goat monster stood in the doorway. This one appeared to be male, with white fur like Toriel’s. He wore a simple robe, and his black hair was pulled into a ponytail behind his horns. At his side stood a human child dressed in a black and yellow sweater.

“Stop this Toriel, at once.”

The queen lowered her hand. It was trembling.

“Asgore . . . Chara . . .”

Sans gasped. “Chara?!”

“My child-!” Toriel covered her mouth, holding back a sob.

Chara stepped forward and smiled. Asgore took their hand and walked to the middle of the room.

“You took them?! You had them this whole time?!” Toriel yelled, fur rising like a cat’s.

“I saved them during the surface battle,” Asgore said, “in the chaos I took them back into the mountain. We both decided it was too dangerous at the time and stayed hidden. A wall was erected before we could enter the city. We were only able to get in after a hole was blown into the wall. We heard the explosions and investigated. It was Chara that convinced me it was time to enter the city and see what had happened.”

Asgore dropped Chara’s hand and approached Toriel alone, his face stony and growing threatening as he came eye-to-eye with the queen. “Neither of us like what we have found here, Toriel. The surface was supposed to be better, a fresh start, but you’ve turned it into a cesspool worse than what we faced underground. I had to pretend that Chara was my servant. Is that what you want?”

“N-no, of course not . . . oh Chara . . .” Toriel went to her knees and held out her arms. “Please forgive me, I didn’t know, I thought . . .”

“That they were dead? Ran away? Is that excuse for this dystopia you created?” Asgore growled and Toriel jumped back to her feet.

“I did what was best for the monsters!”

“And this is what was best?!” Asgore shook his head, “no, this is the work of a mad queen. After what I’ve seen . . . Toriel, I demand that you step down from the throne, I have returned as king.”

Sans was staring at the exchange in shock, while Papyrus gripped his own arm, looking uncomfortable and a bit scared. Fox stood up.

“King?”

Asgore looked at her gruffly and nodded. “As I was before I went into hiding. Underground it was different, I did what I could to protect the humans that fell, but Chara has taught me that to truly save everyone, I must act.” He stepped closer to Toriel, silently challenging her. “What do you say, my wife? Will you step down peacefully?”

Toriel clutched a fist, but then the tiny human hand of Chara touched it, and Toriel’s fingers unwound to take the child’s hand. She looked down at them sadly, and instead of a stoic queen, Fox saw someone almost motherly. Someone lost. Chara smiled and nodded.

“Very well. I abstain from the crown, on the condition that you’ll let me see Chara.”

“I agree, but that is entirely up to them,” Asgore said.

Toriel reached up and took off her crown, pulling it out from around her horns. She let it fall to her side, then clatter to the floor.

“Chara, why don’t you take Toriel to her room and have some tea? I think you two could use some time together.”

Chara nodded and tightened her hold on Toriel’s fingers. She guided the former queen out of the room, and the door shut behind them.

“Sans, Papyrus,” Asgore said cordially to the skeletons, “it’s good to see you again.”

“We wondered what had happened to you,” Sans said, his voice tight, as if unsure how he should talk to Asgore.

“I understand if you are loyal to Toriel, but I hope you will give your allegiance to me, it seems there is a lot of work to do, and Ebott needs capable monsters.”

Sans hesitated, looking at Papyrus, and then Fox.

“Wait,” Fox interrupted. “Who are you? Do you really want to free the humans?”

“He does,” Sans answered for him, “it was why he abdicated the throne in the first place, he didn’t want to use human souls to break the barrier.”

Asgore nodded. “Chara and I have seen the horrors this city has fallen to, and I promise to free the humans here.”

“I am the ambassador for humans,” Fox said, “I want to help.”

“Wonderful! Let’s-”

“But you can’t trust Sans!” Fox interrupted, pointing accusingly at the skeleton, “he tried to kill me!”

“Now wait just a minute!” Sans pointed a finger back at her.

“No! You said you were on my side, that you would help the humans, but the second Toriel gave the order to kill me you were her puppet!”

“Don’t you think I planned for that? How do you think Papyrus got here?”

Fox looked at the taller skeleton in surprise. “What do you mean?”

Sans sighed and threw up his hands. “He used his teleportation to follow us and was watching in case things went south. He knew to ‘stop me’ from hurting you if it came to that, then teleport you back home. That way you would be safe and my cover wouldn’t be blown.”

Papyrus held up a piece of paper. ‘Told you I’d always save you.’

Fox exhaled, shaking her head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It was a last-minute plan and you didn’t need to know,” Sans scoffed and crossed his arms. “Besides, you didn’t tell me about your little assassination idea.”

Fox looked away sheepishly. “It was a last resort thing. I hoped I wouldn’t have to.”

“Well, lucky for both of us Asgore is back,” Sans said, “and I will gladly serve you, my king.” Sans placed a fist to his chest and bowed, snapping his heels together.

“Thank you, my friend. First thing is to get Napaston here so that I can speak to the public, then I want you to organize the guards and begin a campaign to free the humans from servitude. Any monster that protests will need to be arrested I’m afraid.”

“Yes, sir.”

Fox gasped. “This is really happening? The humans are going to be free?”

“Yes, my dear, I guarantee it.”

Tears filled her eyes. Papyrus stepped forward and put an arm around her shoulders. Fox beamed up at him.

“As human ambassador, will you stay and help me spread a message of peace?” Asgore asked. “It’ll be good for everyone to hear from a human as well.”

“Yes, of course.”

“Alright then, Sans, see that Napaston is brought here with a camera crew. Papyrus, perhaps you should stay here and watch over our ambassador? I am going to check on Chara and make myself presentable.”

Asgore and Sans left, leaving Fox and Papyrus alone in the throne room.

“Wow,” Fox whispered, “I can’t believe this. A benevolent king just falls into our laps.” Heaving a deep sigh, she sat down on the throne, needing a chair.

Papyrus was looking at the knife she had dropped, hands in his pockets.

“Are you mad at me?”

Papyrus looked at her, but she couldn’t read his face.

“I didn’t know what you and Sans had planned. I didn’t _want_ to hurt her. She said she was going to banish all the humans-!” Fox gave up, slumping back against the chair. After a pause, Papyrus approached her and held out a piece of paper.

‘Mercy is always an option.’


	12. Fox's Past

The courthouse became a whirl of monsters and activity. Napaston arrived with his crew, getting everything plugged in and set up. Fox shuddered at the sight of the tall robot, having seen his face on TV – he was a news broadcaster, a game show host, and an actor as well as musician.

He often hosted shows with music and dance-offs, but he also had less savory game shows. Once Fox had seen him forcing a human to defuse a room full of bombs. They had lost signal in their bunker though, and she never saw how it ended.

Asgore soon returned dressed in fresh clothes with his fur combed, Chara at his side. Fox wanted to ask what had been done with Toriel, but everything was in chaos. She and Asgore were set up in front of the camera and before she knew it, they were rolling.

Asgore did most of the talking, announcing that he was now king, and he would be working with Fox to give humans equal rights in Ebott. He could barely keep up with all the questions Napaston gave him.

“What of the queen, your highness?”

“She will be put under house arrest for now.”

“What if the humans rise against us?”

At this, Fox spoke, “I ask that all humans cooperate with the Royal Guard at this time, please do not act on thoughts of vengeance or hatred. We want to live in a world of peace, and I promise that those behind your oppression will face justice.”

“But what about-?!”

And so it continued, going on for almost two hours. Fox was starting to feel sick, too hot in her dress and needing food badly. She kept her head up through it all, and Asgore finally put a stop to the transmission, promising to speak again at a later date.

Fox let her body relax after the cameras were shut off. Her back and feet hurt from standing in the heels. She pulled off her scarf and searched the room for Papyrus.

“Madam ambassador, follow me, we need to meet with Sans and organize the service humans’ retrieval.” Asgore dashed away any hopes of getting some rest.

“Alright,” Fox agreed. She followed him out of the throne room and down to the next floor where a conference room had been set up for them. Sans was already there with several other monsters. Fox gratefully sat down.

They talked about how to free the humans and where to put them. Sans suggested commandeering a hotel to keep the humans in until they could be returned to their homes. They also decided to allow monsters to voluntarily give up their human servants, but Sans already knew that would be a difficulty.

“Several businesses that use human labor are already in protest,” Sans said.

“I’m signing an executive order this afternoon,” Asgore said, “anyone that doesn’t freely release humans in their servitude will be arrested, Captain.”

“Yes sir. There’s also the matter of humans who wish to stay with their monster hosts.”

“What?” Fox asked surprised, “they don’t want to be free?”

“Not all monsters are cruel, _ambassador_ ,” Sans glared at her, “some have accepted humans into their homes as family.”

“They can’t stay!” Fox insisted, “what if they’re being threatened? Or have Stockholm syndrome?”

“Fox is right,” Asgore said, “ _all_ humans need to be removed, and if they wish to return to their monster family, we can set up an evaluation to make sure no abuse is taking place.”

“Very well.” Sans was viciously taking notes, to the point where Fox thought she saw smoke rising from his pen and paper.

The meeting continued on for several more hours, with Fox becoming more and more angsty. There was so much to do, but she was so tired. Some of the monsters at the table she recognized from her ‘trial’, a few days ago they all wanted her dead.

Meetings and television, she wasn’t used to this. She felt exposed and in danger. She wanted to hide, not in Sans’s house, but one of her bunkers where no one could find her.

Finally, Asgore called for the meeting to end. Outside the shadows were growing long as the sun set. Fox’s legs were shaking as she stood up. Sans appeared at her side, looking stern.

“Return home with Papyrus, I’ll be working late so do whatever you want for dinner, I gave Papyrus some money.”

“When? Where is he?”

“He should be outside,” Sans waved her off, already starting a conversation with another monster. Fox didn’t question further and fled, eager to be out of the room. Papyrus was standing out in the hall, doodling in his notepad.

“Paps . . .” Fox stepped up to him. Papyrus looked up. “I’m starving, we’ve got to get food.”

Papyrus nodded and held out his hand. Fox took it and squeezed tight. She still wasn’t used to the feeling of bones, but it was comforting nonetheless. In a blink they were suddenly outside the courthouse, making Fox jump in fright.

Papyrus released her hand and wrote, ‘You mentioned Grillby before, does he still have a restaurant?’

“Yeah, he does. Let’s go there, you can catch up and I can eat.”

Fox had to lead the way, and they didn’t have Sans’s car. Several blocks later she was ready to pass out, head hanging, shoulders slumped, and feet dragging against the pavement. Papyrus placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. He kneeled in front of her, and Fox didn’t argue. She slumped forward onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Papyrus picked up her legs and stood, carrying her on his back. Fox sighed, happy to be off her heeled feet. She rested her head on his shoulder, overly aware of the shape of his ribs under her thighs. She barely noticed when they did arrive at Grillby’s establishment.

It was strange entering through the front door, Fox had only ever been in the basement. Grillby’s was dark with lanterns at the tables, and the bar alight from the owner himself. He watched them as they approached the bar, the flames of his face flickering.

“Papyrus . . .” he said quietly. “I thought you had died.”

Papyrus shook his head. He set Fox on her feet and she took a seat. He sat next to her and pulled out his notebook. ‘Hiding’ he wrote.

“Hiding.” Grillby met Fox’s gaze next. “I saw you on TV.”

“Yep, I’m the human ambassador now, but before we get into that you’ve got to feed me. Please.”

Papyrus put some gold on the bar. Grillby nodded, the money disappeared, and he went to the kitchen. Fox rested her head on the bar top. Papyrus tapped his pen, spun it in his fingers, then tapped again. Finally, he seemed to make his decision and wrote something down. He pushed the paper over to Fox’s head.

‘You should apologize to Sans about the queen. I know you were doing what you thought was right, but it’s put a strain of Sans’s trust.’

“Strained his trust, eh?” Fox scoffed and shook her head, sitting up. “You still don’t get it, do you? I don’t care about his trust, and, frankly, I don’t care about our friendship. I had to give up things like friendship and family when I joined the rebellion, Papyrus. I don’t even have my own name anymore. Screw his trust.”

Grillby stepped out at that moment carrying two plates of food, hamburgers and fries. Fox grabbed her plate and stomped away from the bar. “Go to your own home, I can take care of myself, always have.” She went to a far, empty corner of the room and ravished her hamburger.

Papyrus blinked after her, his face betraying the hurt he felt. He looked down at his burger, not moving. Grillby started polishing a glass.

“What happened?” he asked, his quiet voice only audible to Papyrus.

Papyrus shook his head and picked up a fry, nibbling without commitment to the meal.

“You still smoke, Paps?”

The skeleton looked up a little too eagerly. Sans hadn’t brought him cigarettes while he was in the tower, and he could only smoke what he found when he snuck out. Grillby jerked his head and the two of them stood up and headed for the back. Papyrus cast a glace over his shoulder, but Fox had her back to them, focused solely on her food.

It was dark outside in the alley. They lend against the brick wall and Grillby pulled out a pack, handing Papyrus a cigarette. He offered a flame from his fingertip and Papyrus took a long, grateful drag.

They stood in silence for a moment, then Grillby spoke, “Fox tell you how we met?”

Papyrus shook his head.

“I found her in one of the interments when monsters first started gathering up humans for registration. She must have been very uncooperative, because they had her in a collar so tight she could barely breath, hands and feet chained. None of the other humans were tied up like that, they were pretty scared of monster magic, but not Fox, she wanted to fight back.

“Anyway, that’s what caught my eye. Other humans were put in tents while they were being registered, Fox was left outside locked to a telephone pole. They were trying to break her, make an example of her by leaving her out in the rain with no food . . .

* * *

Grillby stared at the pathetic human crouched in the mud. Her red hair was plastered to her face by the past rainfall. They had put a leather collar on her, and, by the way her skin strained beneath it, had tightened it cruelly. Her arms were shackled to the pole behind her back, and her ankles were in the same position so she couldn’t run.

By looking at her eyes you wouldn’t know she was being tortured, they stared straight ahead, hard and ruthless. Grillby took a drag from his cigarette and approached her, intrigued. She spared him a glance, then went back to ignoring everything. He leaned against her pole, making her stiffen.

Grillby wasn’t a sympathetic monster, business was business, and war was his. Underground he was an arms dealer, mostly helping those that apposed the royal family and their oppressive regime. Grillby supposed he was on their side as far as choosing sides went, he didn’t like being watched, didn’t like higher-ups being in his business. His bar had always been a cover.

If the surface was going to be much the same then it was in his best interest to keep his business going. What better way to sell guns than to create an enemy for monsters?

He dropped his cigarette into the mud and squashed it.

But that wasn’t the only thing he dropped.

He didn’t look back as he left the camp, there was no point. He had come under the guise of buying a human to work at his bar, but really he just wanted to see what was going on. If this human was any good, he would see her again.

He was right.

She escaped the camp that night, climbing over the chain-link fence and using a blanket to dodge the barbed wire that spiraled around the top. When she dropped to the ground Grillby was there waiting for her, smoking and leaning against a truck.

She froze up like a startled rabbit when she saw him, the relaxed and held up the lockpick he had dropped next to her.

“This yours?” She rasped. Her collar was still on.

Grillby nodded and tossed his cigarette. He walked over to her. “Allow me,” he said, undoing the buckle and freeing her neck. Fox took what was probably her first full breath in days. The indent on her neck was deep and red, and slightly bruised.

He put her in his truck and took her to the bar. She stayed hidden in his basement for a couple of weeks, recovering.

Grillby left her there all day, coming down only after the bar was closed, bearing a plate of food. She was jumpy and scared at first, always hiding somewhere in the basement when he came down. When she was sure it was just him she would appear from whatever dark corner or box she had hidden in and eat her fill. Sometimes he could hear her scream from nightmares.

Grillby made it very clear that he would not stick his neck out for her. If she got caught, that was it. She accepted that. She accepted everything. She had lost her family in the chaos of the uprising, not knowing if they were dead or had managed to escape. She didn’t know where her friends were, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to do.

Grillby had a proposal. He told her that he could get her guns if she could get humans. They could fight back.

He would never forget the look on her face, how it went blank, almost hopeless, and she had turned away to stare into nothing. He had watched her for a bit before she replied.

“I don’t want guns, I don’t want death, I just want my people to be free.”

“And how will you do that without fire power?”

“I’m sure we’ll need some, but no killing. If a monster dies then we’re just as dangerous as they say, and I don’t want that.” Fox stood up and dusted herself off. “But you’re right, we have work to do, and a fight to fight.”

That was when she really became ‘Fox’. She took Grillby up on his offer, but not for guns. Instead he provided ingredients to make small bombs. Fox used those to free humans from the interment camp. The bombs were just a distraction while she snuck people out on the other side of the camp. Those that escaped became the first wave of the resistance, building hideouts, stealing food, and looking out for other humans.

Grillby stayed out of it for the most part except when Fox needed more explosives or a place to hide. She never took up his offer for guns and urged her fellow rebels to avoid killing as well.

* * *

Papyrus stared at Grillby as his story came to an end, lighting up another cigarette. “So don’t be too hard on her. While you were hiding, she was trying to save as many people as she could, and she’s had to make hard choices.”

‘She tried to kill the queen,’ Papyrus wrote.

Grillby snorted. “Shut the fuck up, Papyrus. We both know that if Tori threatened your brother you would try to kill her too. But I’m guessing she threatened the entire human race. Let it go.”

Grillby threw his butt into the concrete, signaling the end of their conversation. They went back inside. Fox was gone, and his food was cold.

“Go find your human, Papyrus, after that TV stunt it’s not going to be safe. And you better come back and visit me, you have a lot of years to make up for.”

Papyrus nodded. Before he departed he left a tip and a note: ‘Thank you’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a tip for Grillby in the form of a comment!


	13. I'll Always Save You

Fox walked swiftly down the dark street. The food had made her feel much better, but it also made her sleepy. Now that her belly was full she just wanted to curl up and sleep, forget this exhausting day.

She considered going back to the skeleton house for the clothes Sans had gotten her, but in the end decided she didn’t want anything from them. She would find a hideout or go back to the courthouse and sleep there and get her own clothes later.

She clutched her forearms and tried not to cry. She thought things could be different, but she was still just a rebel with no friends or home, she just had an official title now. And her feet hurt more.

She was so wrapped up in her misery that she didn’t notice the monsters watching her. She took note when they started to follow and darted down a side street. She jumped up on some boxes, to a dumpster, then grabbed the ladder of a fire escape.

Before she could climb up, an orb of magic burst across the rungs above her. Fox cried out and slipped, falling back into the street. She landed on her feet and pain shot up from her heels up her legs. She gritted her teeth but ignored it, turning to face the monsters that accosted her. It was a mouse monster with angry red eyes, an iron cap, and pyrope.

“That’s her, the so-called ‘ambassador’,” mouse monster glared.

“Damn human,” the iron cap growled, “what do you think’s going to happen once all the humans are free? It’s going to be Surfacing Day all over again!”

“No!” Fox pleaded, “I won’t let that happen.”

“Liar!” The pyrope sent an attack at her, casting balls of fire. Fox cried out and dodged, but her heel hit a crack in the asphalt, causing her ankle to twist. Fire caught the hem of her dress, and she screamed, immediately taken back to the burning stake.

Panic clouded her mind and she tried to run. The iron cap sent his attack next, throwing drill-shaped magic at her. One of the drills pinned her dress to the ground, making her stumble to her knees.

“Your turn! Fight back!”

“No.”

“Then this’ll be easy!” The mouse monster came in for the final strike, pulling out a magical pitchfork.

Bones appeared between the prongs, bringing the attack to a stop. Fox looked up and realized that Papyrus was standing behind her, his eyes glowing and staring out of the shadows of his hood.

The monsters gasped. “Sans’s guard dog, so it _was_ you . . .”

A gaster blaster appeared over his head, whining as it powered up to fire. The monsters immediately retreated, running back to the main street.

Papyrus dismissed the blaster and looked down at Fox, his gaze becoming gentle.

Fox burst into tears. “Paps! I’m sorry . . . I didn’t mean that stuff about not caring, I want to be your friend, please don’t leave me alone . . !”

Papyrus went to his knees and hugged her tight, wrapping her up in his lanky arms. Fox buried her face in his hoodie, and felt a tingle of magic surround them. When she looked up they were back in the skeleton home, kneeling on the living room floor.

Papyrus wrote, ‘I won’t. I promise.’

Fox sniffed and wiped her cheeks. Papyrus wrote some more.

‘Grillby told me how he found you. I’m sorry. After all you’ve been through you don’t owe monsters anything, yet you still showed mercy. Sorry for ever doubting you.’

Fox heaved a heavy sigh and smiled. “Thanks, Paps. Can we just forget about this awful day? Go play some video games?”

Papyrus nodded and helped her to her feet. They headed to the stairs then paused.

“First thing’s first.” Fox yanked off her shoes and threw them in the trash. “I’m never wearing heels again.”

Papyrus chuckled and took her hand, taking her upstairs.

* * *

Fox was surprised when she didn’t immediately crash. She and Papyrus played games until they got tired and switched to TV instead. Papyrus eventually dosed off, but Fox’s mind was too occupied to let her tired body rest. She smiled down at her sleeping skeleton and planted a quick kiss on his head.

She left the bedroom, deciding to get some food and a cocoa to help her sleep. When she arrived downstairs she saw that Sans had finally come back home. There was a stack of folders on the table next to the door, and he had beaten her to the kitchen.

“Welcome back,” she said, stepping up behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Hm. _Someone_ has to take care of things. There’s going to be a lot of work to do.”

Fox stepped up beside him and found a mug in the cabinet. “I’ll be there to help.”

“Good, I don’t tolerate slacking!”

“Except from Papyrus, right?”

“Absolutely not! I’m making him your personal bodyguard, since that’s the only work he’s done in years.” Sans began boiling water and pulled out a packet of instant coffee.

“Coffee this late?” Fox raised an eyebrow.

“I need to go through that paperwork.”

Fox looked at the pile, then back to Sans. She took the coffee from him and held up the cocoa powder instead. “How about we _both_ tackle the paperwork tomorrow, together, and get some sleep tonight? It’s been a hell of a day.”

Sans rolled his eyelights. “I do not need sleep like you weak humans, but I’ll concede if it’ll make you feel better.”

“I appreciate it. You’re doing me a big favor.” Fox smiled behind her hand and made two cups of chocolate. They made their way to the couch and sat down to drink.

“By the way, I am sorry about what happened with the queen earlier. It was rash of me.”

“Not at all,” Sans said, “I would expect nothing less of the notorious Fox.”

She smirked, a little flattered. “Maybe it’s time I go back to my real name. That alias was for the rebellion, and I’ve been without an identity for a long time. It would be nice to go by my real name again.”

“That is a good idea.” Sans agreed. As he drank, his eyelights seemed to dim, and Fox began to feel sleepy as well. He stared at her and suddenly took a lock of her hair between his fingers. Fox stiffened in surprise, but he only studied her calmly. “What _is_ your real name?”

Fox smiled. “That’s for another day,” she said, “now it’s time for sleep.” She drained her mug and took it to the sink. Sans followed, and they went their separate ways to bed.

“Sans?” Fox stopped him, gently grabbing his wrist. Her fingers touched the bare bone between his sleeve and glove and his eyelights brightened. He stared at her. “Thank you. For everything.”

Sans waved her off, pulling his arm away. “Nothing to thank me for. Now go to bed! I expect you up bright and early in the morning!”

Despite his bravado, Fox was sure she saw a hint of pink on his cheeks. “Yes, sir.”

She went back to Pap’s room and curled up beside him. The skeleton turned against her, taking her under his arm like a child with a teddy bear. Fox smiled and settled in, finally drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End  
> Thank you for reading my story, and I hope you liked it. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think!  
> Would you be interested in a sequel? I've got an idea for how to continue the story, perhaps something with a bit more romance, we'll see how popular it gets.  
> Thanks again, and happy reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and welcome to my take on the Fellswap Gold universe. I hope you enjoy. This first half of this fic is based on the Hunchback of Notre Dame, but the story will take a definite shift as roles change in the second half.  
> Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


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